Aquaman Just Killed—in China

At home, it's still 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 9, 2018 2:15 PM CST
Aquaman Just Killed —But Not Here
FILE - This image released by Disney shows characters, from left, Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, Yess, voiced by Taraji P. Henson and Vanellope von Schweetz, voiced by Sarah Silverman in a scene from "Ralph Breaks the Internet." On a quiet weekend at the box office, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was...   (Disney via AP, File)

In the calm before the Christmas storm at the box office, Ralph Breaks the Internet remained No. 1 for the third straight week, while the upcoming DC Comics superhero film Aquaman arrived with a cannonball-sized splash in Chinese theaters, the AP reports. For the second week in a row, no new wide releases opened in North American theaters, allowing Disney's animated sequel to again lead domestic ticket sales with $16.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The top five films at the box office were all unchanged. Universal's The Grinch, still a major draw in its fifth weekend, trailed in second with $15.2 million, followed by Creed II ($10.3 million), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald ($6.8 million), and Bohemian Rhapsody ($6 million), Variety reports.

But the weekend's biggest new arrival was in China, where Warner Bros.' Aquaman debuted with $93.6 million in ticket sales. That marked a new opening-weekend record for both Warner Bros. and DC in China. Considering the checkered recent history of DC films (Justice League, Suicide Squad), the big launch in China was a promising sign for the spinoff starring Jason Momoa. Meanwhile, awards hopefuls landed domestically as Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan, Ben Is Back with Julia Roberts, and Vox Lux with Natalie Portman each banked a modest buck in limited release. Expect more splash next weekend when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Mule, and Mortal Engines all bow in America.

(More box office stories.)

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