The “Aquaman” sequel opens on Friday, December 22. It is currently estimated to bring in $37 million to $43 million at the domestic box office over the four-day Christmas weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In comparison, the box office bomb that was the female-led sequel to “Captain Marvel” debuted to a $46.1 million opening weekend in November. …

If estimates are correct, the upcoming sequel will not only do worse than Marvel’s latest movie but also generate less than the original “Aquaman” did in 2018 when it scored $105.4 million over the four-day Christmas holiday weekend, the outlet noted.

However, despite the low box office projections, “Aquaman 2” is expected to be at the top of the box office due to what is expected to be a weak Christmas weekend flanked by “Wonka” and the Oprah Winfrey Broadway musical adaptation of “The Color of Purple,” both from Warner Bros.

[Too bad. Jason Momoa is a very likable actor and seems like a pretty decent guy too, but apparently the film itself is dreck. The Wrap’s review trashes it entirely as a badly edited and poorly conceived rehash of the first film. — Ed]