"Aquaman" makes a big splash
Warner Brothers studios released “Aquaman” a little over a month ago on December 21st, 2018, and in that time period the blockbuster has made, pun intended, a splash. After being in theaters for only 34 days, “Aquaman” has already grossed a worldwide box office of $1,074,516,462, more than any DC comic book movie since “The Dark Knight”.
Although sitting at a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has earned a 78% audience score, the DCEU’s best reviewed movie since “Man of Steel” and “Wonderwoman”. The movie is a healthy mix between action and plot. While the pacing often feels weird at times, the overall pace is fairly quick and makes the 143 minute run time fly by.
With a serious story and a reluctant hero, “Aquaman” is an emotionally driven story that captures the audience and brings them to an underwater wonderland where Kings and Queens rule and sharks are ridden like horses.
Sibling rivalry heads the conflict as Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) faces off against his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for the throne of Atlantis. It’s this contrast that really brings the story to another level and elevates the film to its billion dollar box office haul.
With success like this, “Aquaman” has already been greenlit by Warners Bros. for a sequel. Director James Wan has been confirmed to return for the sequel after steering DC comic book movies back onto the right track.
Even though “Aquaman” tops the DC box office charts, the film is only the seventh top-grossing comic book movie of all time. The top six are all Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, including Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man 3, Black Panther, then the three Avengers films taking the top three spots of the worldwide box office. If “Aquaman” is any indication of what is to come for the studio, then Marvel better watch out, because the competition has finally arrived.
