The DCEU could really use a smash hit right about now. Wonder Woman is already a distant memory and fans are feeling a bit doubtful about the franchise after Justice League. Fortunately, James Wan’s Aquaman seems like it might just be able to get things back on track.
Early reactions are calling it the best DC film since The Dark Knight and it’s currently doing extremely well in advance ticket sales. Buoyed up by the positive buzz it’s currently receiving, it seems analysts are now feeling a bit more optimistic about Aquaman‘s chances at the box office. Though they originally projected a relatively soft $40-$60 million opening weekend, those numbers have now been adjusted.
Speaking to The Wrap, industry insiders said that James Wan’s upcoming underwater adventure will be the first $100 million-plus opening since Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom did $148 million back in June. They didn’t say exactly where it’d fall, but we imagine it’ll be on the lower end of that $100M-$148M scale. Even if that’s the case, though, it’d no doubt make the suits at WB very, very happy.
After all, given that the DCEU brand isn’t in the best standing with the general public right now, they can use all the good news they can get. And they’ve certainly been getting a lot of it lately, which is a nice change of pace for the studio and is hopefully a good omen for the pic.
Either way, it seems that despite the less-than-dazzling opening weekend predicted for the film initially, Momoa and Wan may still be able to follow through with their sequel plans after all. Although, the real test will come when Aquaman hits theaters on December 21st.