AQUAMAN Passes $700M Worldwide As BUMBLEBEE & SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Battle For Third
It looks like the holiday box office is being very generous this year as the top four films are hardly seeing any decline this weekend, which is expected to result in some big totals this coming Monday.
Warner Bros.' Aquaman continued its dominating run this weekend and is well on its way to repeating as the domestic box office champ with an estimated $52 million (-22.8% drop) in its second frame, bringing its stateside tally to an approximate $189 million by the end of business on Sunday.
Worldwide, the James Wan-directed underwater DC epic, which has received decidedly mixed reviews but an A- CinemaScore, will swim past the $700 million ($189M domestic; $511.8M foreign) milestone by the end of this weekend, thrusting beyond both Man of Steel ($668M) and Justice League ($657.9M) as it takes aim at becoming the DC Extended Universe's highest-grosser ever and quite possibly the first DC film since Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises to top one billion dollars.
Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, which received mostly positive reviews and an A- CinemaScore, is beginning to pick up some steam and is heading toward another second-place finish with approximately $30 million (+29% jump). By Sunday, the Emily Blunt-starrer will have a worldwide total of approximately $123 million ($101M domestic; $22M foreign).
Paramount's Bumblebee, which received widespread critical acclaim and an A- CinemaScore, will likely stay in third place with approximately $21 million (-3% drop). The Hailee Steinfeld-led prequel/spinoff will likely top $100 million worldwide ($46.2M domestic; $31.1M foreign) by the end of business tomorrow and will hopefully get a much-needed boost when it opens in China on January 4.
Thanks to incredible reviews and an outstanding word of mouth, Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is also picking up some steam heading into the new year and should finish its third frame with approximately $19.4 million (+15% jump). The critically-acclaimed animated Marvel adventure should hit $170 million ($105M domestic; $64.3M foreign) by tomorrow night.
It should be noted that films that open during the holiday box office season perform considerably different than films that open in the summer or fall as non-Star Wars films tend to open softer prior to Christmas Day, but have stronger holds and pick up a considerable amount of steam post-Christmas. All of Warner Bros.' Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films opened under $100 million, but all went on to gross over $250 million domestically (and two topped $1 billion worldwide). A more recent example is Sony's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which opened to $36.1 million stateside last year before ultimately grossing $404.5 million domestically ($962 million worldwide total). So, if anything looks a little low to you now, check the numbers at the end of January for a more accurate assessment of how well these films performed.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.
Aquaman features:
Director: James Wan
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
Amber Heard as Mera
Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko
Patrick Wilson as King Orm/Ocean Master
Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna
Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta
Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry
Ludi Lin as Captain Murk
Michael Beach as Jesse Kane
Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin
Graham McTavish as King Atlan
Leigh Whannell as Cargo Pilot
Kaan Gulder as Young Arthuer (9yo)
Otis Dhanji as Young Arthur (13yo)
Kekoa Kekumano as Young Arthuer (16yo)
Julie Andrews as Karathen
John Rhys-Davis as Brine King
Djimon Hounsou as King Ricou
Sophia Forrest as the Fisherman Princess
Natalia Safran as Queen Rina
Aquaman swims into theaters December 21