Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will no longer be opening on Wednesday, December 20th.
Instead, Warner Bros. is pushing the release date back to the weekend and opening Aquaman 2 on Friday, Dec. 22.
It’s unknown why the release date changed, but the Wednesday opening would have given the flick a six-day opening as the Monday following the weekend is Christmas.
So that means, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will instead have a four-day weekend (includes Thursday previews).
If I have to guess, I am guessing they are going with the four-day weekend because it will present a larger opening weekend box office than if the film opens Wednesday, and also that the Wednesday opening might not be all that big.
Back in 2018, Aquaman actually had a Saturday screening on Dec. 15 ($2.9M) and a Wednesday screening on Dec. 19 ($1.8M) prior to the official Friday, Dec. 21 opening ($27.7M) which also included the Thursday previews.
Aquaman opened with a three-day weekend of $67.8M and a four-day Christmas weekend with $100.7M.
The movie also only dropped less than 25% in weekend two, New Year’s four-day weekend, and added another $78.5M. The film finished with over a $1.15 billion box office.
What is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom about?
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa—along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman—return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.
Directed by Wan, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is produced by Peter Safran, Wan and Rob Cowan. The executive producers are Galen Vaisman and Walter Hamada.
