Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had a rough start in its domestic opening weekend box office when it was released last December as it only opened at $27.7 million, which is the fourth lowest in the DCEU franchise.
It also received negative reviews from critics as it sits at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is significantly lower than the first film's 66% score.
However, since then, it has been able to have a solid box office run mainly due to its release during the holiday season, which is considered to be one of the most crowded moviegoing periods.
While it is a far cry from the first film's billion-dollar gross, it is a decent performance especially since the last three DCEU releases failed to break even and turn a profit in their respective box office runs.
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Passes $300 Million Mark Worldwide
According to Collider, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has passed the $300 million mark in its worldwide box office as it now cumulated a global total of $334.8 million. It has also passed $100 million in the domestic run.
The sequel's stronger-than-expected box office performance in the international markets, including China, is cited as the reason behind its impressive performance.
It is now also the highest-grossing DCEU film in 2023 as it surpassed The Flash's record of $270 million. It is also the first one to pass the $300 million mark since 2022's Black Adam.
Box office forecasts have now suggested that the film could likely pass the $400 million mark if it continues to have a solid run worldwide in the coming weeks, which will be a good milestone for the final installment in the DCEU.
However, the film also had a massive budget as it reportedly spent more than $200 million on its production and underwent multiple reshoots, which added to its overall costs.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad end for the DCEU franchise after a series of disappointing box office performances in its last phase.
It does help a lot that it had the benefit of being released in the holiday season and the lack of major competition except for Wonka.
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