Aquaman has already outgrossed both Wonder Woman and Man of Steel at the overseas box office. December is always a busy month for the film industry, with every studio releasing their own four-quadrant movies to intense competition. This year, with no Star Wars film dropping at Christmas, the studios have been fighting it out - and Aquaman looks set to be the winner.
The film's domestic takings haven't been particularly impressive. Aquaman had the lowest domestic opening weekend in the history of the entire DCEU, earning $67.4 million domestically during its first three days. At time of writing, its domestic total still sits at just $72.7 million. But the superhero blockbuster has been performing very differently overseas, and in fact looks set to be a record-breaker for DC Films.
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As noted by CBR, a staggered international release means Aquaman has already outgrossed both Wonder Woman and Man of Steel in the overseas market. That means it's already the strongest solo film in the DCEU to date, bringing in $410.7 million to date against $409.3 million and $377 million. If the film's current performance continues, it should outperform both Suicide Squad and Justice League's lifetime international box office takings by the end of the week. It's not inconceivable that Aquaman will ultimately beat even Batman V Superman, which grossed $543.2 million overseas.
The secret to Aquaman's success appears to be its performance in China, a country that appears to be falling in love with the superhero genre of late. Aquaman has been out in China since December 7, and has already earned $232.8 million in that territory. It's long been believed that the Chinese box office is vital to the future of the film industry, but the performance of this year's superhero movies suggests that this is particularly the case with comic book adaptations. Venom scored a record-breaking opening weekend in China, while Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War grossed a staggering $373.4 million.
It's interesting to note that the DCEU is currently pivoting away from its more famous heroes. Films starring Batman and Superman haven't really been a marked success for the DCEU, and instead Warner Bros. is developing superheroes who've never starred in their own movies before. In the case of Aquaman, the star is a character who's traditionally viewed as underwhelming, mocked because he has the power to talk to fish. Whatever the final box office takings may look like, though, Aquaman's time has clearly come - and he can now stand proud as one of DC's greatest global champions.
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Source: CBR
