What Does Aquaman's Box-Office Success Mean For The DCEU's Future?

4. But Not Entirely Departing The DCEU

Aquaman should lead to a greater onus on standalone superhero movies and more varied (and lighter) tones and aesthetics, but what it also does is confirm that the DCEU can and indeed does work (to an extent).

This movie wasn't a knee-jerk response to the failure of others, but born out of the original plans for the universe, and Aquaman is very much a Justice League character. If it had failed, then it might have killed the shared universe completely. Instead, thanks to it being a success, it leaves the door open for more stories within the DCEU, rather than an increasing amount branching off into an Elseworlds style universe (as Joker is).

There's a good chance Warner Bros will see that as positive reinforcement for some elements of the DCEU, giving them more urgency and faith in the likes of Suicide Squad 2 and Birds of Prey. In a sense, it'll allow them to have their cake and eat it: they can keep things loosely related, with an eye on a team-up should they sense the appetite for one, without having the shared universe aspects feel overly forced, and allowing the movies to all be distinct and do their own thing without worrying too much about canon.