Aquaman has become the highest earner in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In its third week, the James Wan-directed film topped $940 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo, putting it over 2016’s Batman v Superman ($873.6 million). Aquaman performed very well in the United States but unfortunately could only top Justice League when it came to domestic numbers. With only $259 million earned in the US, Aquaman falls behind Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, and Man of Steel.
The worldwide numbers for the DCEU are as follows:
- Aquaman — $940.7 million
- Batman v Superman — $873.6 million
- Wonder Woman — $821.8 million
- Suicide Squad — $746.8 million
- Man of Steel — $668 million
- Justice League — $657.9 million
Aquaman is expected to hit the $1 billion mark in the next few weeks, but even when it crosses the threshold, it will still fall behind six films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU has always put up bigger numbers than the DCEU, especially when it comes to figures from the United States. Internationally, however, Aquaman is still behind Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion), The Avengers ($1.518 billion), Iron Man 3 ($1.405 billion), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.346 billion), Black Panther ($1.214 billion), and Captain America: Civil War ($1.153 billion).
Jason Momoa Thanks Fans for Aquaman's Massive Box Office Success - https://t.co/fGuemDtnZZ pic.twitter.com/CMWeExPkgJ
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) January 6, 2019
When it comes to domestic numbers, Aquaman really takes a dive behind MCU films. As of January 4, the Jason Momoa film is behind 13 MCU films, just barely beating out Doctor Strange ($232.6 million), Ant-Man and the Wasp ($216.6 million), Thor: The Dark World ($206.3 million), Thor ($181 million), Ant-Man ($180.2 million), Captain America: The First Avenger</em >($176.6 million), and The Incredible Hulk ($134.8 million).
Domestically, Aquaman will top Captain America: The Winter Soldier next week, but will have a hard time reaching the next highest MCU film on the list, Iron Man 2 ($312.4 million). In the DCEU, Aquaman might be able to rise one more spot on the list of domestic earners. The underwater film needs to make $32 million more to top Man of Steel at $291 million.
Since Aquaman was released in 2018, its gross from 2019 will count towards last year’s totals. At the time of this publication, Aquaman was the seventh-highest grossing movie of the year in the United States and will likely top Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch ($269.6 million) in the next two weeks. Internationally, Aquaman is currently the fifth-highest grossing film of 2018, just behind Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion), Black Panther ($1.346 billion), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($1.308 billion), and Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion). Based on current box office performance, Aquaman probably won’t top Incredibles 2, solidifying it as number five for the year.
Aquaman is now playing in theaters.