Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to delay two major DC movie sequels until next year, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Though the Aquaman sequel was already slated for a release next year, it has now been delayed from March 17, 2023 to December 25, 2023. Shazam! 2 had been slated for a release later this year, going from a December 21, 2022 date to March 17, 2023, according to Variety.
These delays are not the first time these specific films have seen a shuffled release date. In fact, the two films even swapped release dates at one point.
While Aquaman 2 will have to contend with competing with rival studio Disney’s Star Wars spinoff film Rogue Squadron, in Dec. 2023, Shazam! 2 will have a much better shot at dominating the box office with its adjusted release date. Not only will Shazam! 2 no longer have to compete with the House Mouse’s surefire box office behemoth, Avatar: The Way of Water, releasing in Dec. 2022, but the Zachary Levi-led superhero flick will basically be peer-less when it comes to major blockbuster rivals for its March 2023 release. Plus, if this year’s The Batman‘s box office success is any indication, March might just be a lucky month for DC.
The newly-merged company Warner Bros. Discovery has previously made waves by axing the near-completed Batgirl movie, which was previously slated for an HBO Max exclusive. CEO David Zaslov made a number of other cut-backs to the streaming service’s content as well, which has proved controversial to fans. However, even before Zaslov took the reigns, DC had repeatedly shuffled around the release dates for their major theatrical release, partially due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, it was announced two films previously set for an HBO Max release, Evil Dead Rise and the LeBron James-produced House Party, will now be released exclusively in theaters.