Say Goodbye to Jason Momoa's Most Chaotic Adventure Movie as It Leaves Streaming Soon

A new year means a whole lot of library changes for streaming platforms as many licenses expire, and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is now caught in that shuffle. The 2023 Jason Momoa-starrer will be leaving Netflix on January 1, which marks the end of its run on the world’s biggest streaming platform. The film was one of the last releases in the old DCEU and followed 2018’s Aquaman, which shocked the industry by crossing the billion-dollar mark worldwide. That first film’s success turned the character into a major box office force, so the sequel carried huge expectations when it arrived.

The sequel brought back Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius, but this time as an unlikely ally to Momoa’s Arthur Curry as the two faced Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The setup sounded promising, but the movie bombed, both critically and commercially. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom earned around $440 million, which was less than half of what the first film made. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a low 33% critic score, which, by extension, makes it the 3rd lowest rated DCEU entry on the platform, only slightly above David Ayer’s Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman.

There were many reasons behind the film’s weak performance. James Gunn had announced the end of the DCEU and the start of a fresh DCU long before Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom came out. This left the movie feeling cut off from the larger universe, and that sense of aimlessness hit hard in a genre that thrives on connected stories. It was also released during a time when superhero fatigue was hitting hard. The Marvels had come out just one month earlier, and it also turned out to be Marvel’s biggest flop to date.

‘Supergirl’ Trailer Arrives This Week and Marks Jason Momoa’s DCU Debut

Milly Alcock behind the scenes of 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.' — Milly Alcock behind the scenes of ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.’

Even though the DCEU has wrapped up and Momoa’s Arthur Curry is leaving Netflix, his time with DC is far from over. Momoa is set to make his DCU debut in Supergirl as the psychotic anti-hero Lobo, a character fans have been picturing him as for years, long before his Aquaman days. Gunn recently shared a short clip from the movie on X that shows Kara (Milly Alcock) waiting for a ship to land beside her. The tone feels much grittier than Superman, and the visuals look very close to Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s original comic that the movie is adapting. Gunn also added that a teaser trailer is dropping this week, which means a clearer look at the story is coming soon, and Lobo will very likely show up.

Audiences have until December 31 to watch Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom on Netflix, and it will continue to be available on HBO Max afterward. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.