Mary Poppins Returns has a fantastic second weekend after a light debut

Mary Poppins Returns seemed like it could end up a box office disappointment when it had a fairly subdued debut last weekend. But a cover is not the book.

The Disney sequel impressed in its second weekend with $28 million, per Box Office Mojo. That's up from $23 million in its three-day pre-Christmas opening; whenever a film manages to actually improve its performance in a sophomore outing, that's typically a sign it will have great legs in the coming weeks, as moviegoers who weren't necessarily in a rush to go see it initially check it out after hearing good things. It's looking like the film should have no problem ending up as a solid grosser for Disney.

This weekend's total comes after Mary Poppins Returns already impressed over the holiday week, taking in $11.6 million on Christmas Day. It has now made $173 million worldwide, $98 million of that coming from the United States.

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But Mary Poppins Returns is not nearly the hit that Warner Bros.' Aquaman has become. That film easily topped the box office for a second time this weekend with another $51 million after making $67 million in its three-day debut. The superhero flick has now taken in about $750 million worldwide and looks like it could end up passing $1 billion, which would make it the first DC film since The Dark Knight Rises to do so.