TheDCEU’s highest-grossing movie, James Wan’sAquaman, is still an impressive achievement over six years after it broke historical DC movie records. The DC Extended Universe raced to its first crossover event after only three installments. AfterMan of Steel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceteased the Justice League’s creation with cameos by Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg. Then,Justice Leagueassembled the team, andJason Momoa’s Arthur Curry received his own spinoff one year later. James Wan’sAquamanwas the first movie outsideZack Snyder’s DCEU original plansto followJustice League’s controversial release.
The DCEU is officially over as the DCU begins its first chapter. Jason Momoa will no longer play Aquaman, but he’s set to join James Gunn’s franchise as Lobo in the DCU’s upcomingSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The DCU’s Aquaman hasn’t been cast yet, and it’s unknown when or where the King of Atlantis will first appear in the new DC Universe.It will be challenging for the DCU to replace Aquaman, as Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry became one of the most popularn characters in the whole DCEU, as shown byAquaman’s record-breaking box office performance in 2018.
Aquaman Made Over $1 Billion At The Box Office
James Wan’s Aquaman Still Holds The Title Of Highest-Grossing DC Movie Ever
As reported byDeadline,James Wan’s 2018Aquamanmovie grossed $105.4M domestically over its first five days in theaters, and it tripled that amount at the end of its domestic run, for a total domestic gross of $334.8 million. Overseas,Aquamanquickly crossed the $300 million mark, and it gathered a total of $1.131 billion worldwide by the time it left theaters. Apart from claiming the title of highest-grossing DC movie ever,Aquamanalso broke other records, landing at the second spot of Warner Bros.' highest-grossing movies, afterHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
Since then,BarbiesurpassedAquamanin Warner Bros.' rankings, with $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.
No other DCEU movie got close toAquaman’s box office. The following five movies in the DCEU’s box office rankings are all films that released beforeAquaman:Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,Wonder Woman,Suicide Squad,Man of Steel, andJustice League. The next movie in the list isAquaman’s only sequel, asAquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s box officebroke the DCEU’s downward trend and reached $439 million despite the franchise’s poor results towards its conclusion.
Aquaman’s Budget Makes The DCEU’s Highest Grossing Movie Even More Impressive
James Wan’s Aquaman Was A Bold Risk For Warner Bros In 2018
As reported byBusiness Insider,Aquaman’s budget estimates range from $160 million to $200 million. By 2025, it’s not uncommon for superhero blockbusters like DC’sThe Flashand Marvel’sThe Marvelsto reach budgets of around $200 million, and unfortunately, it’s also not uncommon for them to flop at the box office, withThe Flashgrossing $271 millionandThe Marvelsearning only $206.1 million worldwide. Due to inflation,Aquaman’s $160m-$200m budget was an even bolder risk in 2018, especially considering that Aquaman wasn’t an established property at the time.
The DC Universe Can Fix A DCEU Villain Mistake That Ruined A Great Character’s Potential
The DCEU ended before it could conclude its best villain’s multi-movie arc. Now, the DCU can give him another chance before his nemesis is introduced.
Man of Steelwasn’t as controversial as Superman’s next two movie appearances, but it still struggled to launch the DCEU with solid box office results.Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicedidn’t meet expectations, andJustice Leagueunderperformed massively. Patty Jenkins’Wonder Womangave the DCEU a breath of fresh air, but nothing guaranteed thatAquamanwould succeed. Yet, not only didAquamansurpass expectations, but it also turned one of the least popular A-list DC Comics heroes into the face of DC’s movie success, dominating the 2018 Christmas box office worldwide.
Why Aquaman’s Budget Vs Box Office Numbers Are Still Promising
Batman And Superman Aren’t The Only DC Characters Who Can Thrive In Cinemas
Batman has dominated DC’s box office for decades. Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Risesreached the $1 billion mark before the DCEU began, andBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicecrawled to $872 million due to its lukewarm reception. AfterJustice League’s disappointing $660 million run, the DCEU seemed unlikely to cross the $1 billion mark. But to everyone’s surprise,it was none other than Aquaman who surpassed all expectations and claimed the title of highest-grossing DC character of all time.
I Can’t Believe I Never Realized How Challenging Making The DCEU’s First $1B Movie Really Was Until 1 DC Star’s 2024 Comments
One of Aquaman’s major stars recently opened up about how difficult it was to make the film and now I have a newfound appreciation for the movie.
James Wan’sAquamanproves that many other DC characters could thrive just as much as Batman and Superman, if not more.Aquaman’s record-breaking box office also proves that a superhero film’s success doesn’t depend solely on how popular a character is beforehand. Instead, each movie’s quality and spectacle can make or break them at the box office. For example,Aquaman’s rich underwater world provided something groundbreaking for the genre, whereasThe Flash’s convoluted plot sabotaged one of DC’s most famous heroes' movie debut.
