Aquaman star Jason Momoa says he’s surprised the original 2018 movie became a huge box-office hit as he voices his frustrations with the character.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actor Jason Momoa said he’s “baffled” at the major box-office success of 2018’s Aquaman considering the critical reception.
Speaking with Men’s Health, Momoa admitted his surprise to see Aquaman attain historic success for DC, with the DC Extended Universe film becoming the highest-grossing film ever made for the studio, earning a whopping $1.148 billion in worldwide ticket sales.
However, given the mixed critical reviews Aquaman garnered, Momoa wonders how the movie was so popular with audiences in the end. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I was absolutely baffled that Aquaman was received so well,” he said. “I’ve done things that are amazing that no one sees and no one gives a shit about. You just don’t know in this business.” Momoa later added, “I don’t go do things and think, Oh, I’m gonna get $1 billion on this one. I go in and do my best job.”
A quick look at Rotten Tomatoes shows Aquaman boasting a 65% critical rating, with the consensus praising it as a fun watch with energetic action and solid CGI. However, many critics on the review aggregator website and elsewhere panned Aquaman‘s dialogue and plot, calling the movie out for its silliness and clashing tones. Despite Aquaman‘s flaws, Momoa’s portrayal of the eponymous half-Atlantean, half-human hero won rave reviews and its box-office success clearly showed a strong audience interest in seeing the film.
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman Future
While Momoa has attracted great success playing Aquaman in the DCEU, he voiced his frustrations with the character during the interview, suggesting how the underwater superhero is the “hardest character” to play, though he’s proud to play him. “It’s not that I don’t care about Aquaman; it’s a wonderful character. Aquaman is probably the hardest character in comic-book history. He’s made fun of and ridiculed, but I tried to give it heart and soul, and I’m proud of it in certain ways,” he said. “Do I feel pressure for [the sequel] to do well? No. All I can do is give it my all. But it’s in a lot of other people’s hands.”
The Lost Kingdom sees Arthur Curry forced into action to protect Atlantis from the devastation following the unleashing of an ancient power. While tasked with such a life-of-death mission, he enters an uneasy alliance with his half-brother Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), who is imprisoned following his crimes against Atlantis. The sequel also features Arthur’s love interest from the original Aquaman film, Mera, once again played by Amber Heard. While Mera was ever-present alongside Arthur in the original, Heard’s role in The Lost Kingdom may be reduced, something she alluded to during her high-profile defamation trial last year with ex-husband and fellow actor Johnny Depp.
Whether Momoa will suit up as Aquaman again going forward is up in the air amid long-standing speculation that he’s set to be cast as Lobo in the DCU. The rumor mill was stoked further this past February when test screenings of The Lost Kingdom, which is directed by James Wan, performed so poorly that people walked out of them. Though Momoa pledged his allegiance to Aquaman in recent months, he has also hinted at playing other characters.
Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom opens in theaters on Dec. 20.
Source: Men’s Health
