“Aquaman,” the new superhero origin story from Warner Bros. and DC, opened to a record-breaking $24.6 million in China from approximately 30,500 screens on its opening day.
The film held an 86 percent market share on its opening day, with 100 percent of its screens showing the film in 3-D. The total is also the highest opening day ever for a Warner Bros. film, and it’s the highest grossing industry opening day ever in China for the month of December.
“Aquaman” is opening in China two weeks before it hits the U.S., and audience and online reaction to the film has likewise been strong, with the film posting high marks in the Chinese tracking figures, including a Maoyan score of 9.5, Taopiaopaio at 9.4 and Douban at 8.4.
The film sees “Justice League” star Jason Momoa’s future king of Atlantis join fellow Atlantean warrior Mera (Amber Heard) to stop his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from unleashing a war on humanity. At the same time, he must also stop a threat from the surface world in the form of arch-nemesis Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe also star in the superhero movie directed by James Wan.
Domestically, analysts who spoke with TheWrap say “Aquaman” is likely to have a $100 million-plus opening, the first since “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” earlier this June.
“Aquaman” hits American theaters Dec. 21.