‘Aquaman’ Passes ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ to Become Highest Grossing DC Comics Movie Ever Internationally

Warner Bros.' Aquaman has surfaced as the highest-grossing international performer for any DC Comics adaptation, beating out previous record holder The Dark Knight Rises.

The James Wan-directed blockbuster has amassed a $649 million foreign haul, beating out the $636m earned by 2012's conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Batman trilogy that starred Christian Bale as the caped crusader.

Starring Jason Momoa as the titular aquatic superhero and Amber Heard as undersea Xebellian princess Mera, Aquaman's $887.6 million-and-growing box office has surpassed 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($872m) as the highest-earning entry in Warner's DC Extended Universe, where it could emerge as the franchise's first billion dollar grosser.

In lapping Wonder Woman ($821m), Suicide Squad ($746m), Man of Steel ($668m) and Justice League ($657m), Aquaman has also bypassed contemporaries Venom ($856m), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($863m), and Thor: Ragnarok ($854m).

Aquaman now ranks as the third highest-grossing DC Comics-inspired blockbuster for the studio, behind The Dark Knight Rises ($1.084 billion) and 2008's The Dark Knight ($1.003b).

The film also ranks high on Warner Bros.' highest-grossing films of all time list, dethroning 2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($878m) for the 12th spot.

The Dark Knight Rises is second on that list — behind only 2011's Harry Potter saga finale Deathly Hallows: Part II at $1.341b — while The Dark Knight is ranked fourth, just behind 2012's Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($1.017b).

A move into tenth place is possible: Aquaman only has to overcome 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($896m) to take the 11th spot, and beat 2009's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($935m) to enter Warner's top ten all-time highest earners at the worldwide box office.

Cracking an even billion would rank Aquaman in the fifth spot on that list, outgrossing 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ($974m), 2013's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ($960.3m), 2010's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I ($960.2m), and 2014's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ($945m).

His $887 million box office makes the half-human, half-Atlantean Aquaman DC Comics' second-biggest solo superhero at the box office. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, who emerged as a breakout with her own solo film in 2017, is the third-biggest after her Patty Jenkins-directed standalone earned $821m worldwide.

Warners is expected to move forward with an Aquaman sequel.