"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," the final flick of the DCEU, rode into theaters on a tide of indifference, right in time for the festive season. At the US box office, the film's opening weekend wasn’t too great. It made just $38.1 million and got overshadowed by "The Color Purple" on Christmas Day. The film, not the combination of red and blue pigments.

After just over a fortnight, "Aquaman 2" has amassed $87.5 million domestically and $187 million internationally, totalling $274.5 million globally against a production budget of $205 million. Considering additional marketing costs and the split of ticket sales, the film needs to breach the 400–500-million-dollar mark to break even. And when you compare it to the tsunami-like success that 2018’s "Aquaman" enjoyed, grossing over $1.14 billion on a smaller budget, offering a spritz of levity in a year otherwise drowned in serious comic book dramas - it's evident that the final film of the DCEU has been met with a wave of consumer indifference.

The first dive was a fun delightful romp, thanks to Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the aquatic rebel with a world-saving cause and our first introduction to the underwater world. But the sequel is sinking under the weight of irrelevancy. Following the footsteps of three consecutive DC duds, expectations for a box office bonanza were as low on the seabed as Atlantis itself.

Rumored disastrous test screenings, studio in-fighting and Amber Heard's controversial presence post-trial only added to the chaos. The DCEU's uncertain future loomed over the reshoots, leading to a release that felt more like a desperate hope than a confident step. After a string of disappointments for Warner Brothers, they brought in James Gunn to chart a new course for a reboot, effectively ditching the likes of Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, Ray Fisher, and Ezra Miller. Hence, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is more of a curtain call with the unenviable task of closing the final chapter.


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