the lowest-grossing installment in the franchise. As a result, WB's future plans were thrown into a state of flux, though there's reason for hope on the horizon.
DC returns to theaters later this month with James Wan's Aquaman, which promises to be an entertaining adventure film buoyed by astonishing visual effects. Though full reviews remain under wraps for the time being, initial reactions are quite positive, implying this will be the rebound the DCEU desperately needs. Strong word-of-mouth should increase Aquaman's box office prospects, and it's already doing extremely well in one key territory.
Related: Aquaman Movie Has Major Man of Steel Homage
WB announced today Aquaman earned about $24.6 million on its opening day in China (Friday, December 7), which is a record haul for WB. It's expected to gross approximately $80 million during the weekend, a total that would far exceed the debuts of fellow DC movies Batman v Superman ($55 million) and Wonder Woman ($37.7 million).
Obviously, this is a highly encouraging sign for Aquaman. Back in October, initial domestic opening weekend projections Bumblebee. Since Aquaman isn't a commercial lock Stateside yet (though, that could very well change as its release draws closer), it will need all the help it can get from the international markets. Even if Aquaman doesn't break the bank, it should still be in solid shape since its budget is reportedly a manageable $160 million.
China's proven to be a goldmine for comic book films. Sony's WB is already discussing a possible sequel, so they're clearly confident.
More: How Every DCEU Movie Set Up Aquaman
Source: Warner Bros.
