'Aquaman' tops 'Mary Poppins Returns' and 'Bumblebee' to become king of the weekend box office

Warner Bros.



"Aquaman" won the weekend box office with an estimated $72.1 million.




It beat out other big releases out this weekend, "Mary Poppins Returns" and "Bumblebee."




"Aquaman" now has a worldwide total of over $480 million.



Warner Bros. sure is happy there wasn't a "Star Wars" release this holiday season.
The Disney franchise has dominated the end-of-year box office since 2015's "The Force Awakens," which led to analysts uncertainty over whether a single movie would be able to pick up the slack at the December box office this year. But Warner Bros.' DC Comics Extended Universe has proven the naysayers wrong and has stepped in to lead the box office going into the important Christmas holiday.
Among a crowded field of new releases this season, "Aquaman" has risen to be as big of a draw domestically as it is globally.