Warner Bros.
Just a day ahead of its release in theaters, the review embargo for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has lifted and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the response from film critics has been far from glowing.
After the first 42 reviews to hit the internet, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom debuted with a 36% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
To put that score into perspective, it’s worse than Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Black Adam, Wonder Woman 1984, Bird of Prey, and even Joss Whedon’s Justice League.
Currently, the only DCEU films to have worse RT scores than Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are Suicide Squad (2016) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The score is certainly a fitting end for the DCEU, as the franchise — which began a decade ago with the release of Man of Steel in 2013 — was never truly able to get out of its own way and off the ground.
Warner Bros. clearly didn’t have faith in the project as they held neither a press junket nor a premiere for the film.
In addition to Momoa as the King of Atlantis, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also stars Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman.
Now that the DCEU is officially dead, all eyes turn to James Gunn’s DCU, which is set to launch in 2025 with the release of Superman: Legacy. Recent reports, however, indicated that Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have discussed a merger, which would, once again, put the cinematic future of DC into question.
Luckily for Momoa, despite the DCEU now being dead, his future with the franchise remains promising as there have been reports he had discussions with James Gunn about playing Lobo in the DCU.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases in movie theaters in the United States on Friday, December 22. Check out the official trailer below.