Aquaman is already a success at the box officeand, if the trend continues in that direction, DC’s latest could wind up crossing the $1 billion mark before all is said and done. Up to this point, the current live-action DC universe, unofficially known commonly as the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) has faced its share of troubles, at least critically speaking. But it appears as though the franchise may be turning a corner and an unsuspecting hero in the form ofAquamanis responsible. Now, the DC cinematic universe could be looking at its first ever $1 billion movie.
As it stands,Aquamanhas grossed $106 million domestically since its launch last week and has already made $550 million globally. The movie was released in certain overseas markets prior to its domestic rollout. Even just a handful of years ago, the idea that a movie centered on a comic book hero that was the butt of a great many jokes in pop culture for decades would even do that well would have been unthinkable. To think that it could make more than movies likeSpider-Man: HomecomingorWonder Womanis downright stunning.
Looking at the movie’s long-termbox officeprospects, a new report indicates thatAquamanshould have no problem crossing the $900 million mark before wrapping up its theatrical run. If things go very well, it could be looking at the even more impressive $1 billion milestone. If that does happen, it would be the fifth movie released in 2018 to do so, behindAvengers: Infinity War($2.04 billion),Black Panther($1.34 billion),Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom($1.304 billion) andIncredibles 2($1.24 billion).
Currently,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the highest-grossing movie in this shared DC universewith $873.6 million worldwide.Aquamanwill overtakeJustice League($657.9 million) any day now. At the present time, Jason Momoa’s first solo outing as Arthur Curry has already taken in more internationally thanMan of Steel,Wonder WomanandJustice League.Aquamanhas performed particularly well in China, where it has already brought in more than $230 million. Needless to say, this is exactly what the DC brand needed right now and this is a huge win for Warner Bros., who lost a lot of money withJustice League. This also bodes well forShazam, which arrives in April 2019.
DirectorJames Wan managed to make a movie that connected with fans and critics alike, asAquamancurrently holds a decent 64 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go with a very solid 82 percent audience score. Other movies, such asBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squadsuffered critically, which is a key difference. It’s not surprising that Warner Bros. is already in the early stages of planning Aquaman 2, which will likely be put on the fast track, given its early success. This news was first reported by Forbes.
