Elsewhere, the Robert Zemeckis dramedy 'Welcome to Marwen' bombs.

Warner Bros.' Aquaman easily came in No. 1 Friday with $28 million from 4,125 theaters for a projected weekend debut of $68 million or more, one of the best showings ever for the year-end holiday corridor outside of the Star Wars films. Overseas, the superhero pic has already amassed $350.7 million, including $214.3 million from China, where it launched two weeks ago. In North America, Christmas is unlike any other time of year at the box office. The weekend before the holiday can be somewhat slow as consumers focus on holiday preparations (the big exception, of course, are the Star Wars movies, which did massive business during pre-Christmas). Traffic at the multiplex will pick up in earnest on the afternoon of Dec. 25, and stay at peak levels through New Year.

Aquaman is directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa in the titular role. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Dolph Lundgren co-star. Males made up 60 percent of Friday ticket buyers, while a hearty 46 percent of the audience was under 25, according to Comscore. As expected, the tentpole is coming in well ahead of Disney and director Rob Marshall's musical, Mary Poppins Returns, and Paramount's Bumblebee, helmed by Travis Knight. As fate would have it, all three films earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences. Mary Poppins Returns took flight on Wednesday in North America and is eyeing a five-day debut of $30 million or more. Musicals don't tend to sport big openings, but can enjoy an especially long run, such as The Greatest Showman last year.