Aquaman has defied expectations to become the highest-grossing DC Extended Universe film.
The James Wan-directed underwater flick has surpassed the global box-office takings of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was the previous highest-grossing DCEU blockbuster.
As of Saturday (5 January), Aquaman – centred on a character who has been helplessly mocked for years in pop culture – has grossed $887 million, while the superhero brawler Batman v Superman took $873 million over the course of its cinema run.
The King of Atlantis accomplished the huge box-office sum primarily thanks to China, where the film has grossed $279 million, becoming the second highest-grossing superhero film of all time (behind last year’s Avengers: Infinity War).
Aquaman quickly out-grossed fellow DCEU films Justice League ($657 million) 2013’s Man of Steel ($668 million), 2016’s Suicide Squad ($746 million) and 2017’s Wonder Woman ($821 million), and looks set to take around $1 billion worldwide.
However, the film will likely not beat the $1.085 billion made by The Dark Knight Rises, which centres on Batman but was not part of the DCEU.
Meanwhile, the director of Aquaman, Wan, has lashed out at the Academy Awards for not shortlisting the film’s VFX team for the best visual effects Oscar.
