WhileAquamanswam pastBatman V Supermanat the worldwide box office weeks ago, becoming the highest grossing DCEU movie of all time, it is only now beating that ultimate match up at the domestic box office. On American shores, it is now the second biggest DCEU movie, though its international popularity knows no bounds.
For a long while,Aquamanwas considered the joke of the DC universe and back in the early teens, when DC Films and Warner Bros. announced their upcoming DCEU slate, no one imagined that Arthur Curry would reign as king on the big screen. The James Wan directed undersea adventure opened early in China, were it has proven to be a hugebox officehit. Here in the states, it opened in the crowded Christmas frame, snagging a first weekend box office of $67 million.
While that may not have been as mighty as previous solo superhero outings,Aquamanonly continued to earn more money as the weeks went on. Though it was liked by critics, it was loved by audiences, with word of mouth carrying it into January and February, where it has proven to be a real powerhouse.
Aquamanhas surpassed the $331 million mark after this past weekend at the domestic box office, putting it in front ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though, it hasn’t been able to catch up withWonder Womanjust yet, which finished its run on the big screen with $412 million in 2017.Aquaman’s run is even more impressive when one considers thatBatman V Supermanopened to $166 million during its first weekend, compared toAquaman’s $67 million take.
As it stands,Aquamanhas taken in over $1.13 billion at the worldwide box office. It’s not just the biggest DCEU movie of all time, but it surpasses all DC movies on a global scale, including all of those starring Batman and Superman. That’s no small feat. After finding such success, Warner Bros. and DC Films are already planningAquaman 2, though James Wan has not confirmed his return as director.
WhileAquaman 2is a no brainer, Warner Bros. is also creating its ownAquamanuniverse operating away from their other DC movies currently in development. And the first spin-off will beThe Trench, which follows the undersea monsters that attack Arthur and Mera midway through the original. It is being set up as a ‘horror’ thriller within the DC onscreen universe.
Aquamanmade his debut inBatman V Superman, though in a blink and miss cameo. He was a major fixture inJustice League, an ensemble superhero adventure that was plagued with problems, garnering poor critical reception and low box office. Most consider it a bomb, and it is single handily responsible for shaking up the DCEU, with the studio going in a different direction. This report comes fromBox Office Mojo.
