Aquaman (SPOILERS)

[mr friendly guy]

Aquaman passed the 1 billion mark. Domestically it was decent, around $287 million so far, but it did quite well overseas. For example the second biggest box office China gave Aquaman $284 million (it was higher than the domestic market at one stage, but given it hasn't moved for a few days I assume they stopped screening it).

Saw it, loved it. However I think its more enjoyable if you think of it as just a generic fantasy/sci fi movie rather than a superhero one. I mean the movie could have been about generic Atlantean prince who is out of his depth in regards to the politics of the various Atlantean kingdoms, and it would still be enjoyable.

The other thing I loved about Aquaman, is that they played on Aquaman's strength, the ability to talk to marine animals. This allowed him to communicate with the Kaiju like creature guarding the sceptre, turn Atlantis mounts against them, and control the Trench. Again, it could still be a generic Atlantean prince with the ability to talk to marine life and it would be just as good.

[FaxModem1]

I quite enjoy when actors start embracing the causes of their characters:

https://twitter.com/patrickwilson73/sta ... 9474299905

Such as Patrick Wilson embracing Prince Orm's utter love of the ocean.

[The Romulan Republic]

Finally saw it tonight. While it suffered from some of the same flaws as other DC films regarding tonal and thematic consistencies (such as the clash between themes of egalitarianism and tolerance, and the idea of the One True King with hereditary special powers), and some moments seemed rushed or forced (particularly the opening, and some of the "lighter" and more humorous moments), it suffered from these failings less than most DC films of late, even Wonder Woman. It told a reasonably coherent, if very generic, superhero story, and the whimsy of the ocean creatures and the inventiveness of Meera's water powers were nice treats. Any movie with fucking battle mosasaurs, wins points in my book. I also liked the deconstruction of HARD MAN grimdark crap, with Aquaman's callousness towards a vanquished enemy's life coming back to haunt him, and likely affecting his decision to spare Orim at the end. It showed real growth in the character toward a greater idealism, which ties into the idea that it takes more than heritage or power to be a good ruler. Also glad they didn't fridge Aquaman's mother.

Not a great film, but solid, aside from a few the usual weaknesses of DC films (much reduced compared to, say, Suicide Squad). Definitely in the top three of the DC filmverse for me, along with Batman v Superman and Wonder Woman.

I'm also impressed by how well the film is doing, considering that pre-Momoa Aquaman was widely regarded as a one-note joke character. The theatre was pretty much sold out tonight (I arrived as teasers were starting, and got one of the last half-dozen or so seats), which is pretty solid for a film that's been out for weeks, especially when its up against some pretty solid competition (seriously, I spent a couple minutes when I arrived dithering between going to Aquaman, Vice, Glass, Mary Queen of Scotts or Mary Poppins Returns- its rare there are that many movies on at once that I'd like to see).

So yeah- DC can pull together a solid if not remarkable standalone, but can't do a decent team movie.

[The Romulan Republic]

This is a headline I legitimately never would have thought I would see:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes ... 40ad0973dd

Within the next 24 hours, the inevitable should finally become official: director James Wan's Aquaman is expected to pass The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-grossing DC superhero movie in history. Heading into Friday, Warner's holiday blockbuster had already topped $1.075 billion in global box office, and was on track to add enough additional foreign and domestic receipts through close of business Saturday to push it toward $1.085 billion, good enough to beat the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.


The Fisherman Kingdom in Warner's "Aquaman"SOURCE: WARNER BROS.
If by chance attendance drops low enough to deny Aquaman the DC Comics cinematic crown on Saturday, there is zero chance the film will fail to hit that milestone on Sunday. The domestic tally will end the weekend with roughly $315 million in the tank, while the international cume should stand somewhere around $772 million, for a worldwide gross of about $1.087 billion.

Even if we play the "adjusted for inflation" game, Aquaman merely has to pass $1.089+ billion to earn the title of biggest DC movie in history, so if it winds up a couple of million bucks shy of that total this weekend, it will top it on Monday or Tuesday.


Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson star in Warner's "Aquaman"SOURCE: WARNER BROS.
With a sequel in early stages of development, any cinematic return to Atlantis depends on the studio delivering a top-notch script to James Wan after he's had time to relax and decide what he wants his next project to be. Which is fine, since Warner is still making decisions about the future of the DC world of films. Fans will be eager for updates and news, but as usual the best advice is to relax and be patient while things continue to sort themselves out and the studio solidifies its choices and options.

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Aquaman was one of several films that helped make 2018 a watershed year for superhero cinema. The slate of Aquaman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Deadpool 2 (and the rerelease Once Upon a Deadpool), Venom, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, and Incredibles 2. Those films combined for more than $8.3 billion in global receipts, and most of them were very well-received by critics and audiences alike.


Yahya Abdul-Mateen stars in Warner's "Aquaman"SOURCE: WARNER BROS.
In addition to the mind-blowing box office results for superhero cinema, 2018 is also a major historic year for the genre in terms of awards attention. But that's where Aquaman was surprisingly overlooked, specifically in the Oscar category for Visual Effects. Although 2018 offered an impressive slate of strong VFX contenders, Aquaman was among the pictures offering the most unique large-scale visual effects. Avengers: Infinity War wound up being the only superhero movie to receive a nomination in the category this year.

Despite Aquaman being left out, though, it's an otherwise transformative year for superheroes at the Oscars, as Black Panther became the first superhero film in Oscar history to receive nomination for Best Picture, one of ten total Oscar nominations for superhero movies this year in a wide variety of categories.


Atlantis before its tragic sinking, in Warner's "Aquaman"SOURCE: WARNER BROS.
After passing The Dark Knight Rises at the box office, Aquaman is on track to pad its worldwide gross considerably in the coming weeks and months. In existing markets, it should have enough momentum left to crack $1.1 billion. Meanwhile, Japan is the final new market left on the film's schedule, and Aquaman should be able to add $15-20 million there to round out its final global cume. I think the actual final tally will probably be somewhere around $1.125 billion.

That should be enough for Aquaman to make its way into the top 20 all-time highest grossing movies in history, replacing Transformers: Dark of the Moon in the #20 position on the list. For 2018 itself, Aquaman will finish its run as the fifth-highest grossing movie of the year. Domestically, it will wind up either just behind or just ahead of Suicide Squad's $325 million. Internationally, I expect it to finish right around $800+ million, good enough to fall somewhere between #16 and #19 on the foreign all-time charts.


Sharks with laser guns prepare for war in Warner's "Aquaman"SOURCE: WARNER BROS.
And in the superhero genre itself, Aquaman will become the fourth-highest grossing solo superhero movie in history this weekend, behind Black Panther at #1, Iron Man 3 at #2, and Captain America: Civil War at #3. However, Civil War really plays more like an Avengers-light film, and is clearly a team-up, so that comparison is iffy as far as I'm concerned.

I'll keep updating you as the final numbers roll in for Aquaman over the next several weeks, including after it opens in Japan and we get a clearer picture of those final receipt numbers. So be sure to check back here regularly, and meanwhile watch this space for coverage of the Oscars and how the superhero genre performs at this year's ceremony.

Box office figures and tallies based on data via Box Office Mojo , Rentrak, and TheNumbers.

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Read all of my movie coverage HERE, and watch me cohost the Superhero Hero News channel on YouTube. I also write screenplays for film and television.

Seriously, this world has become fucking surreal the last few years. The President of the US is a Russian agent, Canada may have just engineered a revolution in Venezuela, and Aquaman is a bigger hero than Batman.

What the fuck is this timeline?

But I'm genuinely happy about this. Is there any chance DC will finally get a clue and realize that audience don't just want endless grimdark masturbation?

Edit: Saw a kids book at work recently called "Batman is kind". Had a picture of Batman saving a kitten or something on the front. I thought "that's nice". Then I thought "those little kids are going to be in for a rude awakening when they get old enough to find out about the grimdark HARD MAN Batman DC markets to insecure adolescent boys."

[PhoenixKnig]

Wow this just got real

[The Romulan Republic]

Yeah, reading that Aquaman is now DC's biggest superhero is legitimately one of the weirdest things that's happened in my life in a while.

Remember a few years ago, when he was just that silly joke character who nobody liked who talked to fishes? Yeah. That guy's bigger than Batman.

[Crazedwraith]

I mean Aquaman hasn't been that to comic book fans for years and years. But to the general population I guess so.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well yeah, of course die-hard fans (or those who remember the old Justice League cartoon) will know that there's more to the character. But for the general population, the casual fans, the people you need in your audience in droves if you're going to get a billion-plus dollar movie... well, this probably sums up the general perception of Aquaman until Momoa arrived on the scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2o5tG0o7Xg

Glad those days are past.

[PhoenixKnig]

What are the numbers today

[FaxModem1]

What are the numbers today

They're making less than a million a day, but most people wait until the weekend before going to see a film.

[Elheru Aran]

What are the numbers today

They're making less than a million a day, but most people wait until the weekend before going to see a film.

Also it's been out a month at least, if not a month and a half by now, so it's slowing down. The fact that it's made as much as it has already is pretty much the done deal, anything else is gravy.

[Napoleon the Clown]

I think the takeaway for Aquaman's performance is that people have been wanting a DC movie that's not so grim and dark. Aquaman had drama, but it also had lots of humor. That's the basic formula that Marvel has been using to rake in huge sums of money, and DC utilized it in a manner that wasn't a blatant copy of the Marvel formula.

And then there are the Jason Mamoa fans, who were no doubt excited to see him without a shirt on.

[PhoenixKnig]

I think the takeaway for Aquaman's performance is that people have been wanting a DC movie that's not so grim and dark. Aquaman had drama, but it also had lots of humor. That's the basic formula that Marvel has been using to rake in huge sums of money, and DC utilized it in a manner that wasn't a blatant copy of the Marvel formula.

And then there are the Jason Mamoa fans, who were no doubt excited to see him without a shirt on.

Agreed

[PhoenixKnig]

What are the numbers today

They're making less than a million a day, but most people wait until the weekend before going to see a film.

Also it's been out a month at least, if not a month and a half by now, so it's slowing down. The fact that it's made as much as it has already is pretty much the done deal, anything else is gravy.

The previous post said that Japan was the last one this past weekend

[The Romulan Republic]

I think the takeaway for Aquaman's performance is that people have been wanting a DC movie that's not so grim and dark. Aquaman had drama, but it also had lots of humor. That's the basic formula that Marvel has been using to rake in huge sums of money, and DC utilized it in a manner that wasn't a blatant copy of the Marvel formula.

And then there are the Jason Mamoa fans, who were no doubt excited to see him without a shirt on.

Agreed

One can only hope that DC will finally, finally learn that audiences want more than an endless parade of masturbatory grim dark meant to cater to insecure adolescent boys.