Are we even surprised Aquaman is already a bona fide success? Director James Wan has repeatedly proved he knows how to make films that both appeal to audiences and satisfy the financial demands that come with making blockbusters. Considering his current and past successes, it's clear that Wan is the new king of the blockbuster.

Wan made his directorial debut with 2004's Saw and worked primarily on horror films before venturing outside the genre for the first time with 2007's Death Sentence, a vigilante action drama starring Kevin Bacon and Garrett Hedlund. Although Saw spawned an immensely successful franchise, Death Sentence received harsh criticism and bombed, making only $17 million against a budget of $20 million.

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Following the failure of Death Sentence, Wan took a much-deserved break from directing feature-length films. In 2010 he returned with Insidious, a supernatural horror film that earned $97 million against a budget of $1.5 million. Then 2013 proved to be a milestone in his career, as he released The Conjuring, which launched the multi-million dollar universe that bears its name, and Insidious: Part 2, the second installment in that franchise. The former made $319.5 million, while the latter earned $161.9 million. Impressively, both of those movies only cost a combined total of $25 million to make.

Seeing his ability to turn a profit, Universal Pictures entrusted Wan with Furious 7 and gave him $190 million to make it. Wan didn't flinch, even when the production was hit by the tragedy of Paul Walker's death. The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie in the franchise, bringing in a mammoth $1.516 billion worldwide and earning praise from fans and critics alike.

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If Hollywood was ever unsure if Wan was the real deal, Furious 7 convinced it. After working with him on The Conjuring Universe and seeing the money he made for Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. decided to hand Wan the reins to Aquaman.

Aquaman proved itself a major challenge from the get-go. Firstly, Wan needed to make the King of the Seven Seas -- a character that has been the subject of ridicule for decades -- appeal to a larger audience. Secondly, the DCEU was in a state of turmoil when filming on Aquaman took place, with morale at an all-time low due to Justice League's underperformance at the box office.

Julie Andrews Aquaman cameo

Despite the pressure, Wan delivered on all fronts. Aquaman currently holds a respectable critical approval rating of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, though its audience score is much higher. The movie also earned an A- CinemaScore among audiences, indicating a high level of approval. Aquaman has also been financially successful and even earned back its production costs before releasing domestically. As it has already grossed over $500 million at the worldwide box office, the movie could even feasibly overtake Justice League's overall box office haul of $657.9 million before the end of the year.

More importantly, Aquaman cements Wan's place as a blockbuster specialist and affirms his membership in an exclusive club that includes the likes of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. This club is filled with the types of directors able to elevate a franchise to unimaginable levels of popularity, which definitely applies to Wan. In making Aquaman, the director changed the popular perception around the titular hero from the guy who speaks to fish and rides a seahorse named Storm to a legitimate superhero operating in a fantastical world. Making a film creative and enjoyable while also meeting the demands of both fans and the box office isn't easy; it's a gift that few directors possess, but Wan is one of those directors.

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Recently, Wan revealed that he hasn't signed on for an Aquaman sequel yet. If Warner Bros. is serious about the future of DC films, it should do everything it can to keep him. Failure to do so will see another studio snap him up in no time. It's Wan's world right now, and he deserves his success.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna. The film is in theaters now.