DC's highly anticipated sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, made a lackluster splash at the box office during its Christmas preview run. The film, directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa, earned only $4.5 million in Thursday previews from 3,040 theaters. This falls significantly behind the $9 million that the first Aquaman movie garnered during its previews back in 2018.

The underwhelming start for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reflects the struggles that the superhero genre has faced this year. While the movie was expected to make a big splash, it seems to be sinking at the box office. Industry analysts predict that the film may only reach a domestic debut of $37 million to $43 million over the extended four-day holiday weekend.

This projected opening would pale in comparison to the original Aquaman's $67.9 million three-day opening in 2018. By Christmas Day of that year, the first film had already achieved an impressive domestic tally of $105.4 million. Ultimately, Aquaman went on to earn $335.1 million domestically and a whopping $1.15 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing film in the DC Extended Universe.

However, Aquaman's disappointing box office performance may find some solace in the fact that it is expected to be the top contender during what seems to be a relatively lackluster Christmas weekend at the box office. The film hopes to make a bigger impact overseas.

This sequel has faced a troubled journey to the big screen and could mark the end of an era for the Aquaman franchise. New DC chiefs, James Gunn and Peter Safran, are set to reboot the DC Universe with 2025's Superman: Legacy. In fact, Momoa himself has hinted that there may not be an Aquaman threequel.

In addition to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Warner Bros. has multiple year-end holiday movies in the lineup, including Wonka, which opened last weekend, and The Color Purple, a daring feat that includes two musicals.

Meanwhile, Illumination and Universal have also added Migration to the holiday mix, aiming to test the appetite for theatrical animated fare and original stories. Although the family pic earned $1.5 million in Thursday previews from 3,050 locations, it is projected to reach a four-day gross of $14 million to $15 million, considering its reported $70 million production budget.

As the Christmas box office season continues, the final verdict for Migration and other new releases will be determined during the lucrative week between Christmas and New Year's. Past successes like Illumination's Sing and DreamWorks Animation's Puss in Boots: The Last Wish have demonstrated the potential for strong showings during this period. However, Disney Animation's Wish, which also relied on an original story, struggled to sustain its initial opening and drew criticism.

Other films, such as Columbia/Sony's romantic-comedy Anyone but You and A24's wrestling family drama The Iron Claw, are also vying for attention on the Christmas marque. Both movies earned modest numbers in their Thursday previews and are tracking to open in the $6 million-plus range.

While the holiday season offers a mix of anticipated blockbusters and awards contenders, the box office performance of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom serves as a reminder that even superhero sequels can face challenges in today's unpredictable cinematic landscape.