Though plenty of fans were worried about the state of the DCEU long before Justice League arrived in cinemas, the underwhelming box office returns of last year’s release made it plain as day that the superhero saga was in trouble. In that regard, it’s been a long year-and-a-bit to wait for the franchise’s next installment, but at least in the all-important China market, Aquaman has proven phenomenally quick in beating the low bar set by its predecessor.
Having come out in Chinese theaters last Friday, James Wan’s film enjoyed a better opening weekend in the region than any other DC movie, taking in $94.2 million in its first three days. But if that isn’t a strong enough sign that Warner’s cinematic universe is commercially back on track, Aquaman has now surpassed Justice League’s total China gross in just four days.
From Friday to Monday, Arthur Curry’s solo debut made $107.6 million, exceeding the $106 million haul that Zack Snyder’s last feature made from its entire theatrical run in China. Not bad, seeing how Aquaman reportedly had a budget that was about $100 million lower.
As it stands, China is the only market where Aquaman has opened, but things are looking pretty promising for the film’s North American release as well, with recent reports projecting a domestic gross of $65 million on the movie’s opening weekend, and around $100 million over the course of the five-day holiday weekend. The feature’s critical reception probably won’t hurt matters either, with the flick currently holding a respectable score of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 58 reviews.
At this rate, you can expect good things for Aquaman when the film hits North American theaters on December 21st.