WATCH BOX OFFICE MOVIES FOR FREE
6 Big Reasons Why Aquaman Succeeded
It's been a few weeks now since Aquaman released in theaters and it is no longer up for debate: Aquaman is a smash hit. After a modest (by superhero movie standards) opening weekend of $67.8 million, James Wan's film has gone on to make over $266.4 million domestically and is racing towards $1 billion with $963.3 million. That makes Aquaman the DCEU's most successful film to date from a total box office standpoint by a pretty sizable margin.
So why, after Justice League sank so spectacularly just a year ago, did Aquaman make such a splash? Aquaman obviously succeeded financially in large part because of its foreign box office, with international sales accounting for over 72% of the film's haul, according to Box Office Mojo.
I'm interested not in the dollars and cents specifically, but the reasons why people were willing to pay them to see this film when the last DCEU film featuring Aquaman and a bunch of other heroes found so many wallets tightly gripped. What was so appealing about this film and this character? There probably isn't a single answer to this question, but here are some solid reasons.
Solid ReviewsIt's difficult to know how exactly how much influence critical reviews have on a film's box office because countless well-reviewed indies make no money and the Transformers franchise (sans Bumblebee) does well despite critical drubbings. Nevertheless, good reviews certainly can't hurt.
Aquaman wasn't exactly a critical darling, but its reviews were more positive overall than any DCEU film before it with the exception of Wonder Woman. The film's solid reviews were good enough to get it to fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the only DCEU film to do so besides the aforementioned Amazonian's tale. Good reviews may have given audiences the confidence that paying for a ticket to Aquaman would be money well spent and it wasn't quite the risk that a film with lesser reviews would be.
In addition to critics who liked Aquaman, audiences seemed to as well. Aquaman received a good "A-" CinemaScore and the user ratings/audience score on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes (for what those are worth) are both higher than any prior DCEU film other than Wonder Woman.
This all adds up to a environment where Aquaman had good word of mouth and the conversation surrounding it among critics and fans, while perhaps not gushing, was positive enough that people figured they would have a good time with this film and were willing to pony up for a ticket.
Spectacle And FunIf Wonder Woman and the hodge podge of Justice League marked the beginnings of the DCEU's tonal shift away from the Snyderian darkness, Aquaman is its completion. Whether Zack Snyder's dark and gritty tone was the problem with his DCEU films and why they didn't live up to commercial expectations is a conversation for another day (personally, I don't think tone was the issue), but it is clear that Aquaman, is far more successful than those films.
Aquaman is bright, colorful, fun, cheesy and very comic-booky. He even wears the orange suit. It is about as far away from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as you can get. In a fish out of water scene that has the brightly lit aesthetic of a romantic comedy, Mera eats a flower for goodness sake. Audiences not looking for the seriousness of Dawn of Justice should have found plenty to like with Aquaman's silliness.
It may not be a masterpiece, but Aquaman is a fun and entertaining movie, and embracing that tone worked in its favor to get audiences into the theater where they had a good time. Aquaman is also a visual spectacle with a fully realized underwater world replete with strange creatures and characters. This movie is pure eye candy and thus is the kind of film that people want to see on the big screen.
The ever-growing international box office has proven that it appreciates spectacle even more than its domestic counterparts, and views blockbusters with a far less critical eye. It's no coincidence that this film's box office is so heavily weighted towards its overseas returns.
Jason MomoaIt is difficult to know exactly how big of a star Jason Momoa is. He's been around for a while, but it's not like his role on Stargate: Atlantis made him a household name. His roles in DCEU films are far and away his most successful at the box office. The last time he was front and center in a blockbuster film was Conan the Barbarian in 2011, and that didn't turn out so well.
However, in addition to the other problems that doomed that movie (it wasn't good), I don't think Jason Momoa had nearly the same level of awareness among moviegoers that he does now. A lot of that awareness is due to his role as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones began in 2011, the same year as Conan the Barbarian released, and while it was an instant hit, it wasn't the cultural phenomenon it became over the ensuing years. If Conan had released a few years later once Game of Thrones really took over, the result might have been different. Sure Khal Drogo was only really in the first season of Game of Thrones, but the badass Dothraki warrior left a major impression, and it could be that now people were finally ready to see the actor who played him lead his own movie.
While Game of Thrones elevated Jason Momoa in the zeitgeist, Justice League also raised his profile. Perhaps audiences who may not have checked that movie out in theaters liked his part in it and were willing to pay a theatrical ticket price for a movie with him as the lead.
It's A Standalone Origin MovieThe way Warner Bros. initially went about the DCEU, it seemed that the studio didn't think that it had to put in the work of universe and character building that Marvel did with solo films, and could instead skip ahead to the big team up and start raking in the $1 billion box offices. But it turns out that giving characters their own solo origin films isn't a fruitless chore, and such films can actually be pretty successful.
Of course, there were audiences who liked Momoa's character in Justice League. And there were a lot of DCEU diehards who showed up to Aquaman, but I'm not sure they alone drove James Wan's film to the success it has had. It's possible there may have been audiences for whom Aquaman was one of, if not the only DCEU film they have seen.
One of the nice things about Aquaman is that it truly stands alone. It isn't fixated on universe building, setting up other films or cramming in references to other heroes and events in the DCEU. It is solely focused on Aquaman's story. Heck, if you want to get granular, there are even some plot holes and things that don't make sense in Aquaman for those that have seen Justice League.
Therefore, the barrier to entry was much lower for Aquaman than it was for something like Justice League. Neither in the film itself nor its marketing made it seem like you had to have seen Justice League or any of the previous DCEU films to enjoy Aquaman. I think that probably worked to its benefit.
The Aquaman CharacterWe all know that the character of Aquaman was once a joke. We'd repeatedly see punchlines about a dude in an orange suit talking to fish, and it seemed like the closest he would ever get to a real movie was the fake James Cameron movie in Entourage. But when you are already the butt of everyone's jokes, there is nowhere to go but up.
Casting Jason Momoa was the start of changing perceptions around Aquaman, and putting him and Mera in Justice League whet people's appetites to see more of the mythology and history around them. Aquaman may have also benefited from the relative obscurity of the character.
We think that characters like the trinity of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman have a built-in level of success because of their familiarity and name value, but that sword cuts both ways. There are also a lot of expectations conferred upon those characters due to that familiarity, and there is also the fact that any depiction will always draw countless comparisons, both favorable and negative, to those that came before. Aquaman isn't swimming against the current in that way.
He has no precedent on the big screen and most people don't know his story. That not only frees Aquaman from expectation, but makes his story seem fresh and new. Watching Aquaman battle his half-brother doesn't feel like thoroughly trodden ground in the way that seeing Bruce Wayne's parents murdered does. Despite being a joke in the past, audiences saw a character they knew little to nothing about, played by Khal Drogo, in a story they hadn't seen before. That combination may have made Aquaman quite appealing and we could see something similar work for Shazam!
The Release DateWe never really used to think of the holidays as blockbuster season, but the time for tentpoles is year-round now, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens proved that the end of the year can bring lots of good cheer at the box office. With Star Wars out of the picture in December of 2018, Aquaman was able to swoop in and capitalize on audiences looking for a special effects and action-filled blockbuster.
Aquaman did face some strong competition with the same idea, but Mary Poppins Returns appealed to a slightly different audience and Bumblebee didn't offer quite the spectacle of the mainline Transformers films, Star Wars or Aquaman. That positioned Aquaman nicely to make a killing for audiences that had grown accustomed to a big year-end blockbuster they could see with the family at the holidays.
It is clear that the holiday season is extremely fertile ground for blockbusters, making the decision to put Solo: A Star Wars Story in May look all the more misguided in hindsight. And while Aquaman had some competition release alongside it, it is enjoying a long runway into mid-January before it faces any new contenders to the box office throne.
There is also the fact that there a full year had passed since Justice League. That gave audiences, whether they loved or hated that film, plenty of time to get excited for another entry in the DCEU. That built up anticipation, combined with a premium holiday season release date, set Aquaman up to succeed.
In an interview with CBM.com, Henry Cavill spoke about the controversial end to Man of Steel, which saw Superman kill General Zod to save an innocent family from death.Here are highlights: On what
Man of Steel: Henry Cavill reveals why Superman killed Zod
Michael Dougherty is the director of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will be hitting theaters in May.The sequel will find Godzilla going head-to-head against Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah in a battle to decide who is the alpha Titan of planet Earth.
'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Director Wants An 'Avengers
The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero Joins Todd McFarlane's Spawn Reboot Movies August 30, 2018 No Comments While a look back at 1997's Spawn might certainly send chills down spines, it won't for the reasons intended by creator of the Image Comics character, Todd McFarlane .
The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero Joins Todd McFarlane's Spawn
The new Deadpool trailer introduces us to his next enemy. The new Deadpool trailer introduces us to his next enemy. Skip navigation Sign in. Search.
Watch 'Deadpool' Sequel Introduce Cable in Meta New Trailer
Frozen II: First trailer released for Disney sequel as Elsa, Anna and Olaf return The first two-minute teaser reveals two new characters and hints at a film which may be darker in tone than the
'Frozen 2' New Trailer: Elsa & Anna's New Journey Revealed
Ryan Reynolds has a colorful way of describing his Pikachu character admin April 22, 2019 If Pokemon: Detective Pikachu operated with only a garden variation Pikachu, you would usually see a nice electric mouse walking around, occasionally "Pika pika!"
Ryan Reynolds Has A Colorful Way Of Describing His Detective
entertainmenthours.com/2019/04/22/ryan-reynolds-has-a-colorful-way-of-describing-his-detective-pikachu-character/
Ryan Reynolds' comments to USA Today certainly fall in line with the supposedly more parent friendly direction that Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is taking this new character into. So while the kids might not get a lot out of Sherlock, Jessica Fletcher, and Columbo being combined into the personality of Detective Pikachu, this isn't really
Ryan Reynolds Has A Colorful Way Of Describing His Detective
Why Peyton Reed Didn't Want Ant-Man And The Wasp In Infinity War
Mortal Engines is receiving some brutal reviews, which casts a cloud over Peter Jackson's passion project.Based on the children's book series by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines has been in development for several years, with Jackson now acting as a second-unit director instead of helming the film himself after first acquiring the film rights to the book series in 2009.
Mortal Engines (film) | Mortal Engines Wiki | FANDOM powered
Is Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy dead? Last week, Disney announced its future slate of movies including three "untitled" Star Wars films being released December 2022, 2024 and 2026. Along with this announcement, came the returning questions about Rian Johnson's previously announced
Did Rian Johnson drop out of his 'Star Wars' trilogy? Here's
The Rocky franchise appears to still have some fight in it with the release of the newest trailer for Creed 2.The "gasp" moment for '80s fans has to be seeing the villainous Ivan Drago return
Creed 2 Will Unleash Ivan Drago's Son - MovieWeb
The first look of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in Warner Bros.' A Star is Born remake is here. The image sees the American Hustle star onstage playing guitar next to the singing superstar.
Miss Piggy Becomes Lady Gaga in 'A Star is Born' Muppets
Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by American writer Stephen King and the sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining.The book reached the first position on The New York Times Best Seller list for print and ebook fiction (combined), hardcover fiction, and ebook fiction.
movie streaming with chromecast
heaven can wait movie streaming
who is streaming the lego movie
the best free movie streaming sites
yellow submarine movie streaming
movie streaming reviews
justice league movie streaming
movie streaming ios
movie streaming bandwidth
movie streaming ita
what is amazon movie streaming
the kid who would be king full movie streaming
full movie streaming youtube
qarib qarib single movie streaming
where is the wife movie streaming
hindi movie streaming
unbreakable movie streaming
queen malayalam movie streaming
elf movie streaming
coco movie streaming
movie streaming history
when did movie streaming start
xbox one movie streaming sites 2017
mandy movie streaming
movie zone streaming
live movie streaming sites
zulu movie streaming
best free movie streaming sites 2019
will hunting movie streaming
best online movie streaming site
best movie streaming app
movie streaming apps for iphone
sully movie streaming
harry potter movie streaming
can't help falling in love movie streaming
rbg movie streaming
movie streaming korean
movie i don't know how she does it streaming
movie streaming website
movie streaming platforms
is vice movie streaming
movie streaming sites
movie streaming emulator
how much data does movie streaming use
android movie streaming app
movie streaming theme wordpress
alpha movie streaming
it full movie streaming free
movie streaming kaleidoscope
watch i can only imagine movie streaming
pengabdi setan 2017 full movie streaming
movie streaming providers
movie streaming php script
xbox movie streaming apps
iron will movie streaming
lego movie streaming youtube
movie streaming api
free movie streaming yidio
movie streaming web
movie streaming services
hd movie streaming
movie streaming apps for android
movie streaming fmovies
movie streaming new releases
your name movie streaming
movie streaming unblocked
streaming movie keeps freezing
wonder movie streaming
what is the best movie streaming app
movie streaming sites free
movie streaming reddit
how big is a streaming movie
movie streaming eng
what movie should i watch streaming
movie streaming sites 2019
movie streaming keeps stopping
good will hunting full movie streaming
movie streaming blogspot
xbox 360 movie streaming sites
movie streaming on firestick
movie streaming canada
movie streaming quora
movie streaming monthly subscription
movie streaming channels
movie streaming trial
movie streaming royalties
is a movie streaming online
must be love movie streaming
top 10 free movie streaming sites
get out movie streaming
mannequin movie streaming
does amazon have movie streaming
uri movie streaming partner
best movie streaming
zama movie streaming
movie streaming vf
the best movie streaming app
do you believe movie streaming
movie streaming roku
movie streaming venom
how much data would streaming a movie use
free movie streaming sites
online movie streaming sites
movie streaming uk legal
movie streaming companies
do the right thing movie streaming
movie streaming sites indonesia
live movie streaming
mary queen of scots movie streaming
movie streaming hd
online movie streaming
everyday movie streaming
unfaithful movie streaming
movie streaming rental
movie streaming website template
movie streaming top 10
that thing you do full movie streaming
best free movie streaming sites 2018
why did i get married full movie streaming
pinoy movie streaming
amazon movie streaming
kulari ke pantai full movie streaming
movie streaming with friends
movie streaming apk
xbox one movie streaming sites
#saladetv #watchthemoonrise #Qesh #watchhill #watchmaniac #CASAMXhostales #watchalert #blackqueen #socialstreaming #HostalCASAMXalameda #WatchMovies #Filma #filmlover #WatchJunkie #Filmametitrashqip #watchnerds #merica #blacksuccess #blackhistory365 #blackiflix #blacktech #fireworks #america #watchcrazy #watchbrandname #watchcandy #WatchUsRise #putitinreverseterry #Movies #TVSHow #watchenthusiasts #netflix #watchluxus #watchos4 #Serialemetitrashqip #moviesstreaming #watchestyle #Zgerdhiu #watchphoto #watchwomen #4thofjuly #filmography #watchblogger #blacksocialmedia #TvSeries #watchingthesunset #firecrackers #funnytime #slay #filmyorumu #blavity #melanin #holiday #getsome #americanflag #hostales #watchful #watchuswork #filmizle #SomosTuConexi #watchtattoo #WatchRoss #bff #blackenterprise #birdbox #FreeMovies #independenceday #filmtavsiyesi #fourthofjuly #watchswag #movietime #watchobsessed #netflixturkiye #Seriale #watchmovies #Filma24 #blackking #tvroomdesign #sandrabullock #watchdose #watchpornid #watchfamily #watchmvmt #movieaddict #melaninmagic #watchquiz #murica #blackbusiness
0 comments:
Post a Comment