Jason Momoa is poised to return in his sequel under DC Studios which recently had a new leadership with James Gunn and Peter Safran, however, the James Wan directed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reportedly goes over a hefty budget of $250 million for its production.
The DC Universe continues to undergo some changes following the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the co-CEOs of DC Studios handling the franchise for Warner Bros. Discovery under David Zaslav and part of it are the finances for each project including Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Speaking of finances, while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom goes for reshoots, a report from Variety reveals that the James Wan directed sequel gone over $205 million for its production and the co-head of Warner Bros. Pictures Pam Abdy had instructed the director to cut some budget.
Despite the reports of cost-cutting in Warner Bros. Discovery after the merger, this budget of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is quite huge for just one film, and this could be looked down by DC Studios in the near future, something that the company wouldn't like.
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been pushed back to a Christmas release in 2023 and it has been going over some reshoots with some changes in its narrative, but with the budget going over $205 million, this could mean that the sequel couldn't go any further with its reshoots.
While it could be a big price tag to put on one movie, the first Aquaman film proved to be a gem for both DC and Warner Bros. that while its budget went between $160 million to $200 million, its box office returns defied the numbers with $1.148 billion worldwide.
That being said, if Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could replicate or go beyond the success of the first Aquaman film, this hefty price tag could be compensated with much more than the studio would want to spend.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently slated for a December 25, 2023 theatrical release.
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