‘Aquaman’ opens big in the world despite in only one market
THE Disney hit ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ may have won the weekend in North America, but it was far from the biggest movie in the world.
That honour goes to WB/DC’s ‘Aquaman’, which won’t even open in the United States for nearly two weeks yet.
‘Aquaman’, which returns Jason Momoa to the title role for his first solo film in DC’s cinematic universe, grossed a whopping US$93.6 million even though it opened in only one market: China.
‘Aquaman’, directed by James Wan, not only enjoyed the biggest Chinese opening ever for a Warner Bros. film, but also secured 85 per cent of the market share, according to Box Office Mojo.
Momoa’s previous turn in the marine suit, 2017’s ‘Justice League’, grossed only US$50.6 million in its Chinese debut. ‘Aquaman’, on the other hand, now sits right alongside Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’ for the top 20 biggest openings ever in China, not adjusting for inflation.
It certainly didn’t hurt ‘Aquaman’ that Wan’s work has soared in China before; in 2015, his ‘Furious 7’ opened to US$182.4 million — the fourth biggest debut there.
‘Aquaman’ will spread to more than 40 overseas markets this weekend before opening domestically on Dec. 21.
Domestically, ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ (US$16.14 million) nudged Illumination’s ‘The Grinch’ (US$15.18 million) over the weekend.
That animation domination at the domestic box office should continue this coming weekend with the debut of Sony’s ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’. — The Washington Post