Aquaman is outperforming Wonder Woman in Fandango’s ticket pre-sales. Directed by James Wan, the upcoming Warner Bros. superhero project reunites fans with Jason Momoa’s half-human/half-Atlantean Arthur Curry after he joined the fight against Steppenwolf in Justice League. And looking at domestic pre-sales for his first standalone film, the public is more than ready to know what he’s up to this time.

Focusing on Arthur’s journey to claim his place as the rightful heir to the Atlantean throne for being Queen Atlanna’s (Nicole Kidman) first-born, he will need to locate the missing Trident of Neptune of King Atlan to prove his worthiness. Mera (Amber Heard) and Vulko (Willem Dafoe) will serve as his allies throughout this entire debacle as his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson) stands in his way.

In an official press statement from Fandango, they revealed that not only is Aquaman topping the list of weekend ticket sales, it is also “currently surging past ‘Wonder Woman’ at the same point in the advance ticket sales cycle.” The Wan-directed superhero film is currently poised to pocket between $68 and $72 million in its opening weekend while its co-DCEU film from 2017 earned more than $100 million in its first three days. Fandango managing editor Erik Davis shared some insight regarding the stiff competition that King of Seven Seas is going to face with Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns (which outpaces Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle released around the same time last year) and Paramount’s Bumblebee (which outpaces franchise predecessor, Transformers: The Last Knight) releasing this week as well.

In the bigger scheme of things, Aquaman’s strong ticket pre-sales are a good sign coming into a very crowded holiday weekend, although this is not yet a guarantee that it will score the biggest opening numbers among its competitors. Industry people have had their concerns that that too much competition could negatively affect all films in terms of box office performance - some even anticipated that one or two would eventually move their release to an earlier date. While Aquaman did in other international markets including the UK and China, it stuck with its original debut in North America, highlighting Warner Bros. confidence in it. Aside from the diverse selection of films hitting theaters this week, the fact that all are getting generally positive reviews will make it more interesting to see which one officially tops this weekend’s box office.

“Moviegoers have an embarrassment of riches at theaters over the holidays, featuring one of the most diverse and entertaining lineups we’ve seen in years. From visually stunning superhero movies like ‘Aquaman’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ to imaginative family films like ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ and ‘Bumblebee,’ there’s absolutely something for everyone to enjoy at the multiplex.”

The excitement for Aquaman comes from a mixture of a lot of things. It’s the first DCEU movie to come out after its more than a year hiatus following the financial disappointment that was Justice League. Unlike a few films from the franchise, the movie’s production went smoothly and controversy-free with Wan supposedly given full creative control - similar to Jenkins’ experience in making Wonder Woman. Finally, the good word of mouth from those who were able to see the film ahead of its North America debut and strong box office performance in international markets are keeping the hype train running until it hits theaters domestically. Luckily, fans in the country won’t have to wait that long to see what the buzz is all about with the film finally rolling out in just a few days.

More: Aquaman v Bumblebee v Mary Poppins: Predicting the Christmas Box Office Winner

Source: Fandango

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