Last year, the premiere of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was delayed and, now, we might have just found out why.
DC has often relied on test screenings to gauge the financial viability of a project. Batgirl was canceled partly because it tested poorly with audiences, so DC opted to just shelve the project in a bid to cut costs rather than risk a box office bomb. Black Adam also reportedly received low test scores, resulting in reshoots that added tens of millions to the overall cost. To make matters worse, the film still performed poorly at the box office despite the additional work done to improve test scores.
Having said that, a new report suggests that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has poor test screening scores.
According to Hollywood insider ViewerAnon, the movie may potentially be "one of the worst DCEU movies" based on half a dozen test screenings.
ViewerAnon on 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom': "I’ll be honest, we’re half a dozen test screenings in and it’s not looking great. I’ve consistently heard over the last half year or so that it’s boring, not as good as the first, and potentially one of the worst DCEU movies." from DCEUleaks
Big Screen Leaks corroborated the report saying that test screenings for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom "have not been good."
I heard that something that almost never happened in test screenings happened with this movie. They’re really going to need to fix this one and fix it fast.
— BSL 🎄 (@bigscreenleaks) February 20, 2023
Big Screen Leaks adds, "I heard that something that almost never happened in test screenings happened with this movie. They’re really going to need to fix this one and fix it fast."
There are reports that participants for the test screenings "walked out" which says a lot about the state of the movie. It is disheartening for the cast and crew to hear such news. It is also a bit odd given that participants are required to submit reviews about the movie.
Jeff Sneider, another Hollywood insider, suggests that Jason Momoa’s time as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman is ending due to poor test screenings for Aquaman 2. Sneider said that the actor will be cast as Lobo moving forward.
I hear it’s terrible and that’s why Momoa is gonna be Lobo going forward. But they can’t say that yet because then it would be a lame duck… and DC is hoping to wring another billion out of the box office. First one was awful too, so not a huge surprise. https://t.co/VlbUoqILDm
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) February 20, 2023
The poor test screenings don’t bode well for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The good news is that the studio still has a few months short of a year left to turn things around. The only option left is to cancel the film, which is highly unlikely. DC Studio can't delay the movie since it will be the last film before the new slate of projects starts.
Hopefully, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom performs better than Black Adam as the future of an Aquaman sequel and the character hangs in the balance.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will premiere on December 25.
