It’s difficult to argue that the DC universe that started with Man of Steel and will end, based on everything we know, with The Flash, had something of a difficult life. There were some significant successes, to be sure, but there were also some pretty big disappointments. The biggest success, however, was also perhaps one of the biggest surprises. The highest-grossing DC Extended Universe movie worldwide was Aquaman, and if that’s a shock to you, you’re not alone, Jason Momoa feels the same way.
Speaking with Men’s Health, Momoa admits that Aquaman’s success, the movie was reasonably well received by critics as well as audiences, was a surprise to him. While he says he always goes out to do his best in every film, he also knows that doing so isn’t always rewarded with success. Momoa explained…
Well, to be perfectly honest, I was absolutely baffled that Aquaman was received so well. I’ve done things that are amazing that no one sees and no one gives a shit about. You just don’t know in this business. I don’t go do things and think, Oh, I’m gonna get $1 billion on this one. I go in and do my best job.
Aquaman did in fact break the billion-dollar mark at the global box office. It was the only DC extended universe movie to do so so far, and the highest-grossing movie based on a DC character ever, even outperforming any previous Batman movie.
Part of the surprise is clearly the fact that Aquaman certainly isn’t the most popular DC character. Aquaman is the guy that tends to get made fun of as the superhero whose primary power is communicating with fish. And those jokes were prevalent prior to Aquman’s appearance on the big screen.
There’s also something of a backhanded compliment here. Momoa indicating that he’s been part of amazing projects that nobody saw, seems to indicate that he doesn’t necessarily view Aquaman in the same way. People haven’t seen some of his great stuff, but they have seen Aquaman. Momoa is clear that he does care about Aquaman as a character, but he also understands that playing a role in the massive comic book franchise makes him just one part of a much bigger machine.
Because of that, Jason Momoa says he doesn’t feel any particularly great pressure for the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to measure up to the first movie. He feels he’s done his best with it, and that’s all he can do. Momoa has also been honest that he's frustrated that Aquaman 2 isn't using all his ideas for the film, which is likely also why he feels less responsible.
It will certainly be interesting to see just how the movie does compare to the first. It’s been five years since the first Aquaman movie, which is a long time in franchise filmmaking. Is the audience still there and will they return in the same numbers they did the first time? Will the fact that the DCU is in line for a major reboot factor in? We’ll find out in December when Lost Kingdom premieres on the 2023 movie schedule.
