Final DCEU Movie Is Officially A Streaming Hit After Flopping With Critics & The Box Office

Final DCEU Movie Is Officially A Streaming Hit After Flopping With Critics & The Box Office Patrick Wilson looking concerned with a beard in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom By  Ryan Northrup Published 36 minutes ago

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may have failed to deliver with critics and moviegoers, but it's now experiencing a second life on streaming. Directed by James Wan, the 2023 film marks the official end of the DCEU, 10 years after the franchise's launch with Man of Steel (2013).

Two years after its release, the Aquaman sequel is now surging in popularity on Netflix and currently stands as the second most popular movie on the streaming service in the U.S. This may not be enough to reverse the fate of the DCEU, but audiences are evidently finally connecting with the superhero film.

Featuring Jason Momoa reprising his titular role after the smash success of 2018's Aquaman, which grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, The Lost Kingdom failed to make a similar mark at the box office. The sequel, which also stars Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, grossed only $440 million worldwide.

Considering The Lost Kingdom was made on an estimated budget of $205 million, it likely failed to break even. Using the standard Hollywood rule of thumb for blockbusters, the Aquaman sequel could have been looking at a break-even point of $512 million, a goal it clearly fell far short of.

Patrick Wilson's Orm and Jason Momoa's Aquaman in rubble in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

This lackluster commercial response accompanied widespread panning by critics. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reviews were overwhelmingly negative, resulting in a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience-driven Popcornmeter score is much higher at 79%, but this clearly didn't result in a big audience turnout.

The film's reception meant that the DCEU ended with more of a whimper than a bang. In late 2022, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would oversee a new division of Warner Bros. called DC Studios. Under Gunn and Safran, the newly minted DCU officially began with the release of Superman earlier this year.

Though Momoa's time as Aquaman is over, he is confirmed to be a part of the DCU in the years ahead. In December 2024, it was announced that Momoa will play the antihero Lobo. It's not clear if Lobo will be getting his own movie, but the character will appear as part of the cast of Supergirl next year, with Milly Alcock playing the titular hero.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may not have been well-received, but it's newfound Netflix success does speak to the enduring love for the DCEU and this earlier era of superhero movies. Zack Snyder's contributions to the DCEU, for example, continue to be celebrated and defended in some circles. The DCEU's time is over, but there is evidently still room to watch and enjoy the movies of this bygone era.

28 6.7/10 5/10

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Adventure Fantasy Release Date December 22, 2023 Runtime 124 minutes Director James Wan Writers David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, James Wan, Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, Jason Momoa Producers Peter Safran, Rob Cowan, James Wan

Cast

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• Jason Momoa Arthur
• Patrick Wilson Orm

Prequel(s) Aquaman Franchise(s) DCU Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy Powered by Expand Collapse

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