Marvel is back on top with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The comic-book movie earned a staggering $205 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates. It broke the opening record for R-rated films previously held by “Deadpool” ($132 million) and ranks among the top 10 openings of all time.
Including international showings, where it earned an additional $233.3 million from 52 markets, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is expected to gross over $438.3 million globally.
Appropriately for the introduction of both characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Deadpool & Wolverine” played less like previous X-Men or Deadpool films and more like an Avengers picture. Among the top domestic opening weekends of all time, “Deadpool & Wolverine” sits in 8th place between “The Avengers” ($207.4 million) and “Black Panther” ($202 million), knocking “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($191.3 million) out of the top 10.
It’s the biggest opening of the year so far, surpassing Disney’s “Inside Out 2” ($154.2 million) and selling the most tickets any film has sold in its first weekend since “Barbie” ($162 million) hit theaters last July. Playing at 4,210 locations, “Deadpool & Wolverine” also surpassed 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191.8 million) to become the biggest July opening of all time, and is the 34th consecutive MCU film to debut in first place. And these are numbers previously thought impossible for an R-rated film.
“This is great news,” said Tony Chambers, who heads up theatrical distribution for Disney. “This is great news not just for Disney, not just for Marvel, but for the entire industry. We’ve said before that success always begets success.”
Chambers said that number came with an R-rating, which is “nothing short of unprecedented.”
The Walt Disney Studios film comes at a time when the industry is reeling from double-digit box office losses over the past year. Disney has played a key role in the summer season, releasing top films in May (“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”), June (“Inside Out 2”) and now July.
The success also marks a significant moment for Marvel Studios, which has suffered a number of high-profile disappointments recently; the most notable being “The Marvels,” which debuted with the MCU’s lowest-ever $47 million last November.
Superheroes are struggling elsewhere, too: Sony, which hit a high point with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.9 billion worldwide), hit a new low with “Madame Web,” which barely cracked $100 million. Warner Bros. is currently working on a reboot of its DC universe under James Gunn’s supervision, after a series of disappointments with Discovery, “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle.”
Marvel’s salvation came in the form of two characters who made their debut outside of the MCU. Both Deadpool and Wolverine, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, previously existed under the 21st Century Fox banner, which had the rights to Marvel characters like the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” for two decades. That changed when Disney acquired the studio’s film and TV assets in early 2019, and plans began to form about how to fit all of these characters into Kevin Feige’s MCU. In some cases, like with “Fantastic Four,” Marvel Studios is starting anew. With “Deadpool and Wolverine,” directed by Shawn Levy, the stars were just as important as their characters.
At the Comic-Con fan convention this weekend, Marvel hinted at a lot more, including the return of Robert Downey Jr. — not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom.
Over the weekend, a $200 million domestic gross seemed like a dream. Analysts were more conservative with forecasts in the $160 million range. But it was clear from the start of preview screenings at 3 p.m. Thursday that “Deadpool and Wolverine” was more powerful. By the end of Friday, it had already earned $96 million and received a coveted A CinemaScore from audiences. Critics have been mostly positive, too. Premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats, account for 18% of the total box office.
“Historically, PG-13 is the rating that gets you the most bang for your buck,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
“The old rule about setting a box office ceiling for R-rated films was literally broken this weekend. The edgier content actually increases their appeal to older teens and 20- to 25-year-olds.”
The biggest domestic opening of all time still belongs to “Avengers: Endgame,” which grossed $357.1 million. It is 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 Last Jedi” ($220 million).
Second place went to Universal’s “Twister,” now in its second weekend with $35.3 million. The standalone sequel to “Twister” has now earned $154.9 million in North America. Universal also took third place with “Despicable Me 4,” which added $14.2 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $291 million.
“Inside Out 2” came in fourth with $8.3 million. This week, the Disney and Pixar release became the biggest animated release of all time, earning $613.4 million domestically (that’s more than “Incredibles 2”) and $1.5 billion globally. It also surpassed “Top Gun: Maverick” to become the 12th highest-grossing global release of all time.
All together, it ranks as one of the top 10 domestic grossing weekends of all time, earning $277.5 million, according to Comscore. That’s ahead of this weekend last year, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” helped the box office top $216.9 million in its second weekend.
“This is an event that will go down in the history books. Hopefully, it will continue until August,” Dergarabedian said.
According to Comscore, ticket sales are estimated at theaters in the US and Canada from Friday through Sunday. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Deadpool and Wolverine,” $205 million.
2. “Twisters,” $35.3 million.
3. “Despicable Me 4,” $14.2 million.
4. “Inside Out 2,” $8.3 million.
5. “Longlegs,” $6.8 million.
6. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $3 million.
7. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $1.3 million.
8. “The Fabulous Four,” $1 million.
9. “Fly Me to the Moon,” $750,000.
10. “Raayan,” $378,571.
