The tide cooperated with the opening of "Aquaman" in China over the weekend. The film starring Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Amber Heard (Mera) earned a massive $94 million within the first three days of its run.
Deadline reported that "Aquaman" was the biggest launch for Warner Bros in the Chinese market, following "Justice League" in 2017 and "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" in 2016. "Aquaman" even outperformed "Wonder Woman," which did well in the global box office but its lifetime box office record in China was just under $93 million.
"Aquaman" was directed by James Wan who has Malaysian-Chinese blood. It will not open in the U.S. and the North America theaters until Friday, Dec. 21, but the China numbers are expected to give the movie a huge domestic box office boost.
But it's not just the Chinese who are loving the movie about a half-human half-Atlantean superhero. Critics say that not since "The Dark Knight," has DC came out with a great film until "Aquaman," according to Esquire.
Viewers first saw Momoa as Aquaman/Arthur Curry when Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) accessed his file from Batman's secret records in "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice." But viewers saw the character in action for the first time with the rest of the DC superheroes on "Justice League."
"Aquaman" delves on the character's origin story as he fulfills his destiny as the King of Atlantis. The film also features Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Aquaman's mom, Patrick Wilson as the present king Orm, and Willem Dafoe as the adviser Vulko.
Momoa said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that he was quite emotional while filming. He revealed that he related to the struggles of his character, who needed to work out a lot of trauma in his life as a half-breed.
Unlike his characterization in "Justice League," this solo movie showed a vulnerable side to Aquaman, as the character needed to find where he belonged. Momoa said he pretty much felt conflicted growing up as well because he has roots in Hawaii and Idaho.
Meanwhile, ahead of the U.S. launch, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Warner Bros may soon begin deliberating on the sequel to "Aquaman." It's expected that Momoa and Heard will return but no writer has been picked yet to write the new story. Apparently, the studio executives have just been mapping out its target date for the sequel.
