Marvel is back on top with Deadpool and Wolverine. The comic book movie took in as much as $205 million in its opening weekend in North America, according to studio estimates on Sunday. It broke the previous record for an R-rated film’s debut, held by the first “Deadpool” ($132 million), and ranked among the top 10 openings of all time.
Including international releases, “Deadpool and Wolverine” earned an additional $233.3 million in 52 markets and is expected to have a global debut of more than $438.3 million.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” is a great introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for these two characters, less like the early X-Men or Deadpool movies and more like the Avengers movies. Among the top-grossing domestic opening weekend movies, “Deadpool and Wolverine” ranks eighth, between “The Avengers” ($207.4 million) and “Black Panther” ($202 million), surpassing “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($191.3 million).
It’s the biggest opening of the year so far, displacing Disney’s “Inside Out” ($154.2 million), and the best opening weekend since “Barbie” ($162 million) stormed theaters last July. Movies with the most tickets. Opening in 4,210 locations, “Deadpool and Wolverine” also surpassed 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191.8 million) to become the highest-grossing July debut ever and the first of 34 consecutive Marvel Universe films. No. 1 at the box office. These numbers were previously thought to be impossible for an R-rated movie.
“This is great news,” said Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of theatrical distribution. “It’s not just good for Disney, it’s good for Marvel, it’s good for the industry. We’ve said it before, but success begets success.
Chambers added that those numbers and the R-rating are “just astounding.”
The release of Walt Disney Pictures comes at a critical time for the film industry as it faces box office returns, which continue to post a double-digit deficit from last year. Disney has played a crucial role in the summer, releasing hit movies in May (War for the Planet of the Apes), June (Inside Out) and now July.
The success is also a significant moment for Marvel Studios, which has suffered a number of high-profile disappointments recently. The most eye-catching one is “Marvel,” which opened to a low of $47 million at the box office last November.
Superheroes are having a tougher time elsewhere: Sony hit its highs with Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion worldwide) but hit a new low with Spider-Man, which only cracked $100 million. Warner Bros. Discovery is currently rebooting their DC Universe under the supervision of James Gunn after a series of disappointments with The Flash and Blue Beetle.
Marvel’s Saviors features two characters who got their start outside of the Marvel Universe. Deadpool and Wolverine, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, were previously owned by 21st Century Fox, which for two decades has owned the rights to Marvel characters such as “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” . That changed when Disney acquired the studio’s film and TV assets in early 2019 and began making plans for how to integrate all of these characters into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Universe. In some cases, like the Fantastic Four, Marvel Studios is starting over. In Sean Levy’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” the stars are as crucial as their characters.
At this weekend’s Comic-Con fan convention, Marvel also teased more upcoming content, including the return of Robert Downey Jr. — not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom.
Heading into the weekend, $200 million in domestic revenue seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. Analysts were more conservative, forecasting $160 million. But starting with Thursday’s 3 p.m. preview, it’s clear that “Deadpool and Wolverine” is stronger. By the end of Friday, the film had earned $96 million and earned a coveted A CinemaScore. Critics are also mostly positive. Premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats, accounted for 18% of the total box office.
“Historically, PG-13 is the best deal,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
“The old rule that R-rated movies have a box office cap was shattered this weekend. Edgier content actually enhanced their appeal to older teens and 20-somethings.
The top domestic debut at the box office remains “Avengers: Endgame,” which grossed $357.1 million. This was followed by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($260.1 million), “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257.6 million), “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($247.9 million) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($247.9 million). The Last Jedi” ($220 million).
Second place went to Universal Pictures’ “Twisters,” now in its second weekend with $35.3 million. The standalone sequel to “Twister” has now grossed $154.9 million at the North American box office. Universal Pictures also took third place with “Despicable Me 4,” which grossed $14.2 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $291 million.
“Inside Out 2” ranked fourth with $8.3 million. Disney and Pixar’s animated film, released this week, became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, grossing $613.4 million domestically (more than “The Incredibles 2”) and $1.5 billion worldwide. It also surpassed Top Gun: Maverick to become the 12th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.
It all added up to make it one of the 10 highest-grossing domestic weekend films of all time, taking in $277.5 million, according to Comscore. That’s ahead of this weekend last year, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” grossed more than $216.9 million in its second weekend.
“This is something that will go down in history,” Dergarabedian said. “Hopefully this will carry over into August.”
Estimated ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic data will be released on Monday.
