How Much Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Cost To Make & What Box Office It Needs

With Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom‘s release just around the corner, all eyes are on the final DCEU movie to see how it will fare at the box. Jason Momoa’s DCEU swansong will see Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis, going toe to toe with Black Manta once more, only this time his iconic rival wields the power of the Black Trident. However Aquaman fares in the battle, it will be the last time that Momoa portrays the character on-screen, with James Gunn yet to confirm whether Momoa will be cast in a different role in the DCU.

The movie follows a string of DC box office flops but is also the sequel to the DCEU’s most successful movie, with Aquaman grossing over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. With that in mind, there is a chance that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could end the DCEU on a high note, yet there are several factors at play that suggest that this is far from a dead cert. Whatever the case, DC will be hoping to at least earn back what it cost to make, lest the rumored production woes spell catastrophe for the DCEU’s final movie.

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Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Budget Is Around $215 Million

According to Variety, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is one of the DCEU’s most expensive movies with a budget of $215 million, sitting close to the likes of Justice League and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. $15 million of that is reportedly going straight to Momoa’s own pocket, as the success of his debut appearance as Aquaman afforded him the chance to request a significant pay rise. Plus, the trailer alone is enough to see the level of production that has gone into making the movie.

The sequel was pitched by Momoa himself as the studio was riding high on the success of Aquaman. As such, the production budget was likely with the success of the first movie in mind and oblivious to the series of DCEU flops that would soon follow. Now, it seems like that budget could put the project at significant risk as the studio braces for audiences’ diminished interest in the franchise as a whole.

How Much Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Needs For Box Office Success

With this budget in mind, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will need to pull in over $400 million worldwide to break even. This doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch on the face of it, given that it is less than 50% of the worldwide gross that Aquaman made, but it is also far from a foregone conclusion. Aquaman was released in the DCEU’s heyday, but the franchise has since experienced a very stark and very public decline, recently culminating in the disappointing performance of Blue Beetle despite it being among the best-rated DCEU movies.

This is partly why James Gunn and Peter Safran have stepped in to refresh DC’s cinematic efforts. Gunn has confirmed that Blue Beetle will remain with the same actor, Xolo Maridueña, but the rest of the DCEU is coming to an end with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. This, unfortunately, puts the final DCEU movie in a precarious position, as audiences will feel distinctly apathetic towards the movie, knowing that it won’t be a part of the wider franchise going forward. The effects of this are already stark when looking at box office projections.

How Much Will Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Make At The Box Office?

Unfortunately for the DCEU, the projections aren’t looking very positive. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently predicted to make between $32 and $42 million domestically on its opening weekend with a total of between $105 and $168 million. This falls significantly short of the amount the studio needs to rake in and threatens to end the DCEU with a fizzle rather than a bang.

By comparison, Aquaman made $67 million on its opening weekend, which isn’t too far ahead. Where it managed to succeed, however, was with the worldwide box office that pushed it past the $1 billion mark. With that in mind, there is a chance that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could break even (or even profit), but with such precarious surrounding circumstances, it looks like the movie is unfortunately heading for a flop.