The final installment in the original DC Extended Universe, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, concludes the franchise by setting a box office record for its sequels. In its final years, the DCEU, unfortunately, was disjointed and increasingly unsuccessful among critics and viewers, despite plenty of successful films early on. While the first solo outings for Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman won over viewers and performed well at the box office, the DCEU never managed to match their successes.
After numerous attempts to reinvent the DCEU, James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as the new heads of DC Studios (formerly DC Films), and rather than continue to tweak the DCEU, the duo opted to partially reboot it as the upcoming DC Universe. Before they could initiate their new franchise, however, DC Studios would release a final batch of films, most of which were unsuccessful at the box office, likely at least partially due to a lack of interest in continuity with an imminent soft reboot. Despite the underwhelming ending to the DCEU timeline, Aquaman 2 managed to at least set one record among the DCEU’s other sequels.
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom: 21 Easter Eggs & DC Movie References
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom is the final movie in the DC Extended Universe, featuring a collection of fun Easter eggs and movie references.
Aquaman 2 Made More Than Twice The Second Highest-Grossing DCEU Sequel
The DCEU’s sequels have typically had underwhelming box office performances and while Aquaman 2 unfortunately continues this trend, it did manage to be the franchise’s most financially successful sequel. With a lifetime gross of $114,460,076, Aquaman 2 not only concluded the DCEU but also outperformed all other sequels in the franchise. The second highest-grossing DCEU sequel, The Suicide Squad, only had a lifetime gross of $55,817,425, less than half of what Aquaman 2 earned.
How Every DCEU Sequel Performed Compared To Their Predecessors
First Movie Lifetime Gross | Second Movie Lifetime Gross |
|---|---|
Suicide Squad (2016): $325,100,054 | The Suicide Squad (2021): $55,817,425 |
Wonder Woman (2017): $412,563,408 | Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): $46,801,036 |
Aquaman (2018): $335,061,807 | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023): $114,460,076 |
Shazam! (2019): $140,371,656 | Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023): $57,638,006 |
Each of the DCEU’s four sequel films performed significantly less than their predecessors. Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had a stronger lifetime gross than Man of Steel, the movie is more of a crossover film akin to Zack Snyder’s Justice League than a genuine sequel to Man of Steel. Unfortunately, two of the DCEU’s sequels, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Suicide Squad, suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic’s devastating effect on movie theaters. The poor performances of Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Aquaman 2 were likely caused by a combination of factors, including the imminent DCU soft reboot.
Aquaman 2 may have continued the DCEU’s trend of poor box office performances in the franchise’s final years, but it did manage to have a better lifetime gross than any other sequel. This may be due to Jason Momoa’s iteration of Aquaman being one of the DCEU’s more popular elements and perhaps the possibility that he may return as the King of Atlantis in the DCU (though Momoa is also rumored to be switching to the role of Lobo). Despite Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s disappointing lifetime gross, it at least ended the DCEU franchise with one of its best heroes and a small victory at the box office.
Key Release Dates
Joker: Folie a Deux
Release Date:2024-10-04
Superman: Legacy
Release Date:2025-07-11
The Batman – Part II
Release Date:2025-10-03
