'Aquaman' Director Thanks Chinese Audiences for Record-Breaking Box Office

Aquaman swam its way into theaters in China this week and the market responded to the James [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

Aquaman swam its way into theaters in China this week and the market responded to the James Wan-helmed film exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that Aquaman's opening weekend is the best any Warner Brothers movie has ever done in the market in the same time frame.

$93.6 million later, Aquaman bested Warner Brothers' Ready Player One, a film directed by Steven Spielberg by 66 percent. Needless to say, Wan was quick to head to social media to thank fans for showing up in support.

"Thank you China, for the tremendous word-of-mouth," Wan tweeted.

Aquaman bested Justice League by 92% and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice by 78%. The film's $93.6 box office haul in opening weekend is already more than what Wonder Woman made in its entire box office run in the market.

China was one of the first markets to show Aquaman and the movie sails into countries like the United Kingdom, Russia, Mexico, and Brazil this coming weekend to compete with Sony's Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

It appears as if Wan has a hit on his hands for Warner Brothers, and that could be in part to the director's need of making a film with his own desires. Speaking with ComicBook.com earlier this year, Wan mentioned that he didn't want to be "director for hire" only to make a cookie-cutter superhero film.

"It was very important for me early on to be allowed to make my own film and to have my own voice be in there," Wan said. "After Furious 7 and Conjuring 2, I didn't want to be a director for hire. After Furious 7, that's kind of who I was to some degree, but after that, I don't want to be that guy again. So, it was very important for me to be able to bring my own stamp, my own visual aesthetic, create the characters. Even though Jason has somewhat been established Justice League, I wanted to bring his character into this, basically, fresh in a lot of ways.

Are you excited for Aquaman to hit the silver screen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Aquaman hits theaters stateside on December 21st, 2018.

Upcoming DC Extended Universe movies include Shazam! on April 5, 2019, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020.

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