Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Box Office: “Aquaman” is All Wet in US Opening, With Lower Friday Returns than the Rest of the DC Universe Comic Book Movies

Share

Let’s be the first to congratulate Warner Bros. for smart thinking. They released “Aquaman” in China and other countries well before its US debut and scored over $332 million at the box office. I mean, that was genius.

Now reality bites in the US where “Aquaman” is not only all wet but may be in danger of drowning. Friday night returns here were $32 million, which included $13.7 million from Thursday previews and earlier showings on Amazon Prime. That puts “Aquaman” below the top 5 openings for DC Universe releases.

It’s funny, too, because I almost wrote when they announced that December 15th Amazon Prime preview that WB knew they were in trouble. And now that turns out to be correct. But they’ve got that foreign release money, so they’re safe from real trouble. But “Aquaman” will do less well than “Man of Steel” and a lot less than “Wonder Woman.” Poor DC. Things were so much better when comic books cost just 12 cents.

More bad news “Mary Poppins Returns” did $6.7 mil on Friday night. Disney dropped its five day projection to $30 million from $35 million. They’re up to $15.5 million this morning. It’s not a jolly holiday for Mary, I am sorry to say.

The new Jennifer Lopez vehicle, “Second Act,” did $2.5 million last night. Will it make $7 mil for the weekend? That’s what JLO and ARod spend on snacks.

 

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News