Warner Bros. put out a brief teaser for the full trailer of December’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
It’s been a tough year for DC Comics properties on film. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle, and especially The Flash have all suffered poor fates at the box office in 2023.
And despite these record-breaking bombs, Warner Bros. and DC still have one film remaining on the release calendar with which to turn their bad fortunes around: Aquaman 2.
The Jason Momoa-led franchise cracked $1 billion with its original installment back in 2018, but rumors have swirled over the sequel’s quality, so it might be the ideal time for WB to begin marketing it.
Aquaman 2 Trailer Teaser Released Online
A new teaser for the full trailer of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was posted to YouTube by Warner Bros.
The video promises that the entire trailer will arrive “In four days,” which sets it up to debut on Thursday, September 14.
Momoa’s Arthur Curry floats front and center in all his Atlantean glory before what looks like an underwater throne or gateway.
“I’m gonna kill Aquaman and destroy everything he holds dear“ came as a chilling threat from Black Manta with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reprising his character from the first film.
Aquaman leaps from the seas atop his mighty steed: a giant, neon blue seahorse. There’s also an octopus clinging to the seahorse with its tentacles for some unknown reason.
The teaser can be viewed below:
The Last Gasp of Air for the DCEU?
It’s probably safe to assume at this point that most moviegoers, and perhaps even some employed by Warner Bros., sadly don’t have a lot of confidence in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s potential.
Yes, the first one made raked in over $1 billion, but the movie industry is in a much different place now. Not to mention that goodwill toward the DC films has taken some serious hits this year, what with the blue brand having put out three consecutive flops (four extending things back to 2022 to include Black Adam.)
To put Aquaman 2 down just that much more, James Gunn and Peter Safran are revamping all corners of DC multimedia, ushering in a new-ish universe for the heroes and villains to inhabit. This effectively leaves Jason Momoa’s seafaring character out in the cold, although there have been strong rumors of a new role for the actor to play going forward.
But not to count chickens before hatching, despite everything acting against it, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could absolutely still turn a profit. Momoa is a fun, charismatic lead, and going by what has been shown in the trailer teaser, the visuals for the film look nothing short of eye-popping.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on December 20. And in that prime Holiday week slot, the film might be able to make a splash, no pun intended.