‘Aquaman’ Is Dominating The Chinese Box Office As It Nears $100 Million
Aquaman won’t debut in the United States for a few more weeks, but that hasn’t stopped the DC film from becoming an absolute giant overseas. The Jason Momoa flick is approaching $100 million in the Chinese box office for its opening weekend according to Screen Rant. If it does reach the $100 million mark, that would make it the highest grossing December film in China’s history.
The film earned $24.6 million on Friday and $38.11 million on Saturday for a respectable $62.17 million opening. That means the film will need to make just over $37 million on Sunday to hit the $100 million mark. This would land Aquaman in the ranks of Marvel Cinematic Universe greats like Avengers: Infinity War ($200.9 million), Captain America: Civil War ($96.7 million), and Avengers: Age of Ultron ($86.4 million) when it comes to Chinese opening weekend numbers.
Current projections for Aquaman‘s opening weekend in the United States aren’t as stellar as the numbers China has seen so far. According to Box Office Pro, Aquaman is currently expected to earn $61 million in its opening weekend, with a potential overall gross of $223 million. While these might seem like great numbers, they don’t match up to the DC film’s predecessors.
China Box Office: Aquaman set the biggest Saturday / single day record in December with $38.11M. It has already earned $62.17M in 2 days. It is looking to make $91M-plus on 3-day debut, breaking the December opening record in local currency. #Aquaman pic.twitter.com/HX2FW9r4vq
— Gavin (@gavinfeng97) December 8, 2018
If those projections hold true, Aquaman would fall embarrassingly short to fellow DC flicks Wonder Woman ($103 million) and Batman v Superman ($166 million) which dominated the American box office in their opening weekends. Wonder Woman went on to earn over $412 million in the U.S., just under double what Aquaman is expected to earn. Batman v Superman earned slightly less at $330 million.
Projections can always change and surprise everyone when a film debuts. After the mediocre success of DC’s most recent film, Justice League, fans are hoping Aquaman can bring the comic book franchise out of the dark just as Wonder Woman did after Suicide Squad flopped with fans and critics alike. It’s been a long and trying road for DC, who has been trying to match the success of the MCU for years.
Before it hits the American market, Aquaman will debut in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mexico, Ireland, the Philippines, and Taiwan on December 12. The following day it will premiere in Australia, and in India on the 14. France and South Korea will get the film on the 19 with Germany, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Ukraine getting their premiere on December 20
Aquaman hits theaters in the United States on December 21. The film stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and Dolph Lundgren.
