Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Robert De Niro’s Alto Knights release dates shuffle

If you have Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom moves its release date again on your Bingo card, take a shot! The James Wan-directed superhero sequel is swimming to a new release date, with the film opening on Friday, December 22, instead of Wednesday! While the jump is minimal, it’s worth noting for people planning to see Jason Momoa’s next aquatic adventure on opening weekend.

December is a killer concerning new film releases, giving Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stiff competition at the box office. Let’s take a look at the schedule, shall we? Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, focusing on the life and times of composer Leonard Bernstein, opens on December 20, tossing Oscar chum into the box office water. Aquaman’s new date is also chock full of heavy hitters, including the Von Erichs wrestling drama The Iron Claw, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s rom-com Anyone But You, Illumination’s Migration, Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut American Fiction, and Zack Snyder’s Reble Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire. On Christmas Day, Michael Mann’s Ferrari races into theaters, with a musical adaptation of The Color Purple also set to bring down the house.

In addition to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom going on Friday, Barry Levinson and Robert De Niro’s twin mobsters movie Alto Knights (formally titled Wise Guys) moves from February 2, 2024, to November 15, 2024. Reports say the move is because of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan recently spoke with Empire about drama circling the superhero sequel. Addressing rumblings about lackluster test screenings and multiple reshoots, Wan said, “I’ve had to learn to be more Zen in dealing with all the noise around me, for sure,” James Wan said. “I’m a pretty private person. I don’t get on social media and have fights, but it’s difficult because this narrative has emerged that is not the reality. The noise is fun to write about, and it gets clicks, but people don’t know the truth.”

Wan added that the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reshoots have been made to seem like a bigger deal than they actually are. “We probably did seven or eight days,” he said. “Which is nothing for a movie of this size. It was just spread out because it’s so hard to get your actors back once you’ve finished the initial shoot.”

Do Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s new release date muck up your holiday plans? What films do you hope to see in theaters before the end of the year? Let us know in the comment section below.