In just two weeks, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s box office totals pass the entire global gross for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s The Marvels.
Two weeks into its run, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has already blown past The Marvels‘ box office total. The sequel to the original Aquaman, Aquaman 2 is the final movie in the original iteration of the DC Universe and comes in the wake of a tumultuous year for DC. The Marvels also serves as a sequel, following 2019’s Captain Marvel. While both original movies made over $1 billion at the box office, the follow-ups have been struggling to keep afloat.
According to two reports by The Numbers, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s global gross has already passed The Marvels’ entire run. Aquaman 2 has earned over $250 million at the box office globally, while The Marvels sits at $199 million. The numbers are disappointing for both movies, as Aquaman 2 cost $215 million to make, while Marvel Studios put nearly $275 million into the Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel follow-up.
Why Aquaman 2 Is Doing Better Than The Marvels
The threat of superhero fatigue has been plaguing the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCEU for years. While it could very well play a part in the unsatisfactory results of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Marvels, the fact that there have been some positive results at the box office indicates that it is not the sole reason for the failures. After all, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned nearly $850 million, despite the failures of The Flash and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before it.
Disney has not yet announced when The Marvels will be available for streaming. Aquaman 2 is still in theaters and is likely months away from a streaming date.
Each movie is surviving and failing based on its own merits. While Aquaman 2 has lost its expanded universe, it benefits from having the opportunity to serve as the finale for the DCEU. The Marvels, meanwhile, is meant to serve as a seemingly inconsequential movie in a multiverse saga that has slowly fallen apart. After the ongoing Jonathan Majors’ controversy began with his arrest in March, the future of the MCU has been questionable.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ends the DCEU, and the movie does so by introducing major elements to the franchise for one last adventure.
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes also struck The Marvels at a more threatening time. The movie was released on November 10, but the SAG-AFTRA strike ended one day earlier, on November 9. There was little time to prepare or schedule actors for regular appearances on the talk show circuit or in any other marketing efforts. The same was not true for Aquaman 2, which was released on December 22. This could also be contributing to the massive disparity. Regardless of the reasons, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is outracing The Marvels with ease.
Source: The Numbers
