Aquaman officially passes Suicide Squad at the worldwide box office, claiming the #3 spot on the DCEU franchise chart, right behind Wonder Woman. They tried to get rid of him, but now from ocean to ocean, they’re going to have to deal with him. So goes a lyric from the Pitbull song “Ocean to Ocean,” a track currently getting lots of attention after appearing on the Aquaman soundtrack. In a broader sense though, that sentiment could be applied to the public at large, which spent decades mostly making fun of Aquaman, and considering him a lame superhero.

Step one in rehabilitating Aquaman’s image came when Zack Snyder cast Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry. Momoa is the antithesis of the usual Aquaman look, and is instantly credible as a badass warrior due to both his past roles and his tattooed, muscular appearance.  Fans got their first taste of Momoa’s sarcastic Aquaman in Justice League, and while that movie as a whole was riddled with problems, even its detractors tended to agree that Momoa’s performance was a bright spot.

The next ingredient needed to revitalize Aquaman was the right director for his solo movie, which DC found in horror master James Wan, a filmmaker purposefully looking to make something lighter and more fun than his past work. By most accounts, he succeeded, as audiences worldwide are loving Aquaman, and calling it one of the best times at the movies to be had all year. A recent prediction alleged that Aquaman would end up grossing over a billion dollars, and while it’s not quite there yet, Wan’s film has just passed Suicide Squad worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Aquaman currently sits at a worldwide total of $748.8 million, slightly topping Suicide Squad’s worldwide gross of $746.8 million, after previously topping both Justice League and Man of Steel. That puts Aquaman at #3 on the overall worldwide DCEU box office chart, trailing only Wonder Woman and Batman V Superman. At its current rate, Aquaman may well top Wonder Woman by the end of this week, and BVS by the end of next week. Right now, it’s really good to be the king of Atlantis.

Despite only being in U.S. theaters for just over a week, Aquaman’s staggered international release schedule has already led the DC film to rise to #7 on the list of 2018’s highest-grossing films worldwide. That places it above both Deadpool 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Many have wondered if Disney made a big mistake by not releasing a new Star Wars film this December, and without that franchise around, moviegoers seem to have selected the ocean as their new galaxy far, far away.

More: Aquaman’s Success Proves Zack Snyder’s DCEU Isn’t Dead Yet

Source: Box Office Mojo

  • Shazam! Release Date: 2019-04-05 Joker Release Date: 2019-10-04 Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25