‘Aquaman’ outgrossed ‘Wonder Woman’ in just three days.
Aquaman Warner Bros.
Aquaman got off to a terrific start in China this weekend, as the DC Films superhero flick earned a stunning $93.6 million in its opening weekend in what will soon be the biggest moviegoing marketplace in the world. It earned $9.7m in IMAX alone. That’s the biggest WB debut ever in China (1/3 larger than Ready Player One ’s $62m launch) and it is already just over/under Wonder Woman ($91m) and Batman v Superman ($95m) in just three days. It bested Mojin: The Lost Legend (in local currency) for the all-time biggest December debut. That one snagged $95m on the same weekend toward a $255m total in December of 2015 when Star Wars: The Force Awakens was earning a $524m global debut.
That $94 million launch would be bigger than any domestic December opening weekend aside from Force Awakens, Last Jedi and Rogue One. China Film Group made the call to launch the James Wan flick a week ahead of its overseas debut (it opens in 40 territories next weekend) and two weeks prior to its domestic launch, and the choice seems to have paid off. Even legs as poor as Dawn of Justice (1.7x) would leave Aquaman with a massive $159m total, but thus far audiences like this one a lot more than Dawn of Justice. It’s getting audience scores on par with Coco and Furious 7.
It’s too early to even consider a finish on par with Venom (around $270 million) or Fate of the Furious ($393m).
