‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ off to a slow start at holiday box office

Following the disappointing performance of Marvel’s “The Marvels” at the box office and ongoing general talk of superhero fatigue, DC’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” came into its opening weekend with more to prove than just its sea legs.

The film, which reportedly cost more than $200 million to make, got off to a slow start with opening day revenues of $13.7 million across 3,706 locations, including Thursday previews, Warner Bros. said Saturday.

In 2018, the first “Aquaman” with star Jason Momoa made nearly $30 million in its opening day on its way to a total box office haul of more than $1 billion globally.

The tepid debut for “The Lost Kingdom” continues the box office trend of underperforming sequels in 2023. Half of the top 10 domestic releases for 2023 were not sequels or extensions of existing franchises.

Buoyed by the success of “Barbie” and the likes of “Oppenheimer,” ticket sales for the year are expected to near $9 billion, up 22% from 2022.

In Michael Ordoña’s review of “The Lost Kingdom” for The Times, he wrote, “The first ‘Aquaman’ was, by far, the biggest grosser in the DC Extended Universe, and Momoa has expressed doubt over the likelihood of his return as the character in the new plans. Losing him would be a shame. He balances the mellow biker-dude vibe with something hidden inside that’s ready to be roused.”

He added: “‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ may not be consequential in the long run, but it’s a mostly diverting, upbeat closer, one that could hint at the tone of things to come.”

Released by Warner Brothers, “Aquaman” had competition from a fellow WB title, as Paul King’s musical “Wonka,” starring Timothée Chalamet, made $6.5 million in its second Friday of release.

Universal’s animated “Migration,” from Illumination Entertainment and directed by Benjamin Renner, made $5.8 million on its opening day Friday, Variety reported, with studio estimates that the film will top $13 million in its opening weekend.

Also opening this weekend: A24’s wrestling drama “The Iron Claw,” directed by Sean Durkin; Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” directed by Will Gluck; and Searchlight Pictures’ “All of Us Strangers,” directed by Andrew Haigh.

Opening Christmas Day are Neon’s drama “Ferrari,” directed by Michael Mann, and Warner Bros.’ musical “The Color Purple,” directed by Blitz Bazawule.