Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has shifted Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from Christmas Day to December 20.
That's only a difference of 5 days and means the DC Comics sequel will now be pitted against Sony Pictures' upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel. December 20 is a Wednesday and, come Friday, both movies will face still competition from Illumination's upcoming animated epic Migration.
The battle for first place will also include the big screen take on the Broadway musical The Color Purple which now takes Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's place on December 25.
In other release date news, the untitled DC movie that was scheduled for September 22 this year has finally been removed from the schedule (it took them long enough). Warner Bros. has also booked December 19, 2025 for a movie to be named down the line, though it's unclear whether that will be a DC Studios title.
Oh, and the long-awaited Minecraft adaptation is now heading our way on April 4, 2025.
There have been rumblings the Aquaman sequel has performed poorly at test screenings, while it remains unclear whether the King of Atlantis will have a place in the new DCU. Jason Momoa has strongly hinted that he's going to play Lobo, and after James Gunn and Peter Safran said they won't have actors playing two characters, this may mark Arthur Curry's farewell.
In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation.
The movie stars Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), Patrick Wilson (Orm), Amber Heard (Mera), Yahya Adbdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), and Dolph Lundgren (King Nereus), along with newcomers in the form of Pilou Asbæk, Vincent Regan, and Indya Moore.
Are you excited to watch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in theaters this December?