It’s fair to say it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the DC Extended Universe with the fans, the box office or the critics. The Superman, Suicide Squad and Justice League movies all had bumpy rides. Only Wonder Woman was an unqualified success – until now. Aquaman is riding the crest of a huge wave worldwide and has finally broken DC’s biggest box office hurdle. The King of Atlantis is now the official king of DC and proof that the Marvel supremacy finally has a challenger.
Aquaman is the first movie in the latest Justice League DC comics adaptations to pass $1billion worldwide. The Dark Knight Rises did so back in 2008, but the recent franchise entries have all fallen short, while Marvel regularly romps past the billion-dollar marker, with Infinity War crossing two billion.
Much of Aquaman’s success is thanks to a remarkable performance at the Chinese box office, however, the movie has been well- received by fans and critics across the globe.
So what does the top man at Marvel make of it all?
At the recent Golden Globes, Kevin Feige was asked directly if he had seen Aquaman.
He was also asked for his comments on the news that sensationally fired Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was crossing over to work on DCEU’s Suicide Squad sequel.
Feige told MTV: “I went to see Aquaman last night and I really, really enjoyed it.
“I don’t see a rivalry. I see cool films being made and one thing you know about James Gunn, he makes cool films.”
Previously, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice banked $870million, while Wonder Woman took $820million. However, the most recent instalment, The Justice League movie, was supposed to be the biggest hitter so far. Instead, it stalled at $673million after poor reviews and fan frustration with the treatment of the characters and the exit of Zack Snyder from the DECU.
The huge success of Aquaman looks set to usher in a new era for the troubled franchise, with Shazam! and Wonder Woman 2 both expected to continue the upswing this year.
AQUAMAN IS OUT NOW