As of this writing, Aquaman has grossed slightly over RM 39 million ($US 9.6 million) and counting at the Malaysian box office. Who would’ve thought that the character that has been the butt of the jokes in geekdom for decades could end up having this big of an impact?
The James Wan film is currently the fourth highest grossing Hollywood film of 2018 in Malaysia, trailing behind Black Panther ($US 10.3 million), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($US 13 million) and of course, Avengers: Infinity War ($US 17.3 million). While it seems highly unlikely that Aquaman would end up breaking into the top three considering the film is already reaching the end of its run, Warner Bros should still be celebrating this accomplishment over cookies and beer.
We have to remember that Black Panther is part of an established universe — the MCU — that has been going from strength to strength for more than a decade. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has years of legacy behind it, while Infinity War (a team-up movie featuring all the characters from the MCU) was easily one of the most anticipated movies of the 21st Century. Aquaman, on the other hand, had to do what Wonder Woman did which was pick up broken DCEU pieces and make it work. The pressure was on, especially after the poorly received Justice League left the future of the DC Extended Universe in doubt.
Not only was Aquaman a bonafide hit, it also managed to outgross a bunch of other comic book movies in 2018 at the Malaysian box office, such as Venom ($US 7 million), Ant-Man and The Wasp ($US 5.7 million), Deadpool 2 ($US 5.3 million) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ($US 1.4 million).
But how does the Jason Momoa starrer fare against other DC movies? Well, it’s difficult to provide the most accurate of reports considering there aren’t any local box office records online prior to 2008. And for whatever reason, it’s pretty much impossible to find stats on some movies that have come out after 2008 as well, like Justice League, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.
That said, Aquaman does appear to be the box office champion among the DC films at the Malaysian Box Office, beating the previous title holder Batman V Superman ($US 7.5 million). Man of Steel clinches the third spot with $US 6.4 million followed by The Dark Knight Rises ($US 5.8 million) and Green Lantern and The Dark Knight with $US 2.7 million respectively. While it’s safe to speculate that neither Justice League, Wonder Woman nor Suicide Squad would top the list, we can’t be quite sure if they grossed over or under Man of Steel. Also, do keep in mind that these numbers do not take into account ticket price inflation.
Here are the highest-grossing Hollywood movies at the Malaysian box office:
As of right now, Aquaman has grossed over $US 1.1 billion at the global box office, making it the 20th highest grossing film of all time worldwide.
