Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has finally landed a UK digital streaming release date – but its official debut on Max (in the US) is still resting at the bottom of the ocean.
The final DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film only swam into theaters in the last few days of 2023, but Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) hasn't wasted any time in ensuring audiences can also watch Aquaman 2 in the comfort of their own home.
Indeed, the superhero movie was made available on the most popular digital platforms – including Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, and Vudu – in the US from January 23 onwards. Now, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is also available to rent or buy via the same online stories on British shores from today (February 7). The Jason Momoa-starring flick is set to get a physical release on 4K UHD, DVD and Blu-Ray soon, too, with a March 12 launch penciled in for US audiences before it breaches the UK-based waves on March 18.
Aquaman's second movie proved to be the final nail in the DCEU's coffin. WBD's cinematic juggernaut was reborn as the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) – under the creative leadership of DC Studios' new co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran – following The Lost Kingdom's theatrical release, thereby bringing an end to the critically and commercially divisive franchise that began with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel in 2013.
Despite being panned by critics, Aquaman 2 gave the DCEU a surprisingly decent money-spinning send-off. Per Box Office Mojo, it made $423.9 million during on the big screen – a total that only fell $112 million short of the combines total of its fellow 2023 DC releases: Shazam! 2, The Flash, and Blue Beetle.
When will Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom debut on Max?
Aquaman 2's availability on digital storefronts worldwide might be a pleasing development for some viewers, but I suspect there are many others who want to know when it'll finally debut on Max stateside. It should be viewable on Sky in the UK and Netflix in Australia at some point, too, although the wait for its arrival in these countries might be a long one.
So, when will Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was released in theaters on December 20, join its DCEU siblings on one of the world's best streaming services? The simple answer is: we don't know. However, we can speculate when it'll do so, based on the other three DCEU films that were released last year.
Take Blue Beetle, for instance. It landed in thearers on August 18, made its digital streaming debut on September 26, and then joined Max's film library – it didn't make it onto our best Max movies list, though – on November 17. It took five weeks, then, for it to make the initial leap from the big to the small screen, while there was a three month gap between its theatrical release and arrival on Max.
However, The Flash and Shazam! 2 launched on Max closer to their original debuts in cinemas. Both films made their official streaming debuts two months after they flew into theaters, although it's likely they did so due to their poor box office performances.
Using that data as a guide, we shouldn't expect Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to make its own appearance on Max until late March. It would be commercially naive of WBD to make it available 'for free' on Max before its physical editions hit store shelves in mid-March. Why would US fans buy a physical copy of the movie when they can stream it on Max? It's in WBD's best interests, then, to hold on bringing Aquaman 2 to its super streamer until a later date. Keep an eye on our new Max movies list for more details when it eventually arrives.
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