‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ opening weekend surpasses $200 million, biggest R-rated debut

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By Eva Rothenberg, CNN

New York (CNN) — “Deadpool & Wolverine” barreled through the $200 million benchmark, cementing the blockbuster as the record holder for the highest grossing opening weekend for an R-rated movie.

According to studio estimates, “Deadpool & Wolverine” — the 34th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup — has grossed $205 million in domestic sales and $438.3 million globally in its debut.

The first Deadpool movie set the record for the highest grossing opening weekend for an R-rated film when it was released in 2016 to roughly $132 million, and “Deadpool 2” cinched the second-place spot with $125 million in domestic sales in 2018. But even adjusted for inflation, both films pale in comparison with the third installation’s debut.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is now also among the top opening weekends ever, ranking at No. 8 — a hair’s breadth below 2012’s “The Avengers” ($207 million) and just above 2018’s “Black Panther” ($202 million).

Of the 10 biggest debuts, six are Marvel properties. With “Deadpool & Wolverine” joining the ranks, Marvel movies are now worth more than $30 billion combined, Disney announced Sunday, making Marvel the highest grossing film franchise of all-time.

Still, MCU has been trying to find its footing after its wildly popular “Infinity Saga” culminated with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” a movie that still holds the record for biggest opening weekend by a margin of nearly $100 million. Since then, several of Marvel’s offerings in recent years have left fans and critics alike unmoved.

Could “Deadpool & Wolverine” reinvigorate the franchise?

“We should continue taking each film on its own terms with varying thresholds of success, especially as the MCU rebuilds with several films next year before the anticipated return of Avengers films,” Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, told CNN.

The fifth and sixth “Avengers” movies are slated for 2026 and 2027, giving Marvel a runway of four new movies through which to build momentum.

“Still, there’s no denying ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is a massive win in its own right, with a unique hook that’s attracting die-hard Marvel fans and casual audiences alike,” Robbins added. “This release is the breath of fresh air Marvel has been working toward and it sets the stage for a new era in the overall brand. It’s a win all around for Disney, Marvel, theater owners, and moviegoers.”

According to Box Office Pro data, the excitement surrounding “Deadpool & Wolverine” has propelled demand for theater showings, increasing the number of times the movie is being screened at movie theaters across the country. It currently holds 43% of the showtime market share across the United States.

“We are thrilled to see ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ bringing people to theatres for the biggest opening weekend ever for an R-rated movie,” said Michael O’Leary, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “This is the kind of movie you want to experience on the big screen and the historic level of enthusiasm this weekend reminds us yet again that audiences know there is no experience like theatrical. We also know that when people go to the movies, they want to come back — so we are excited to capitalize on this weekend’s energy with a robust theatrical slate in months to come.”

The return of the over-performing box office

While the summer box office had a lackluster start after a lukewarm spring, there have been several blockbusters pumping new life into the industry.

“Since June, there has been a nonstop parade of over-performing blockbusters starting with ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die,’ and continuing with ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘A Quiet Place: Day One,’ ‘Despicable Me 4,’ ‘Twisters,’ and now ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ making for one of the most notable string of hits in summer movie history,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN on Saturday.

Last week, Disney announced “Inside Out 2” had become the highest grossing animated film of all-time, raking in $1.46 billion at the global box office and dethroning former record holder, 2019’s “Frozen 2.”

Until the film’s release on June 16, domestic sales had been lagging more than 25% behind 2023’s performance, according to Comscore data. But less than three weeks after its release, the year-over-year domestic box office revenue deficit shrunk from 27% to 19%.

Now, the deficit stands at 16.9% and it could keep shrinking depending on how “Deadpool & Wolverine” finishes its run in theaters. This time last year, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was the top film with a domestic gross of more than $574 million. Meanwhile, the enduring success of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — both released on July 21 — helped to push the cumulative 2023 domestic box office revenue past $9 billion, the highest it’s been since the pandemic.

Although analysts have forecast a dip in revenue for 2024, the better-than-expected summer movie slate has narrowed the the gap.

“This weekend’s performance certainly makes us more optimistic for the box office prospects for 2024, but we have a long way to go before the end of the year and year-over-year comparisons will keep us on a seesaw of ups and downs,” said Dergarabedian, estimating the full-year box office will land between $8.2 and $8.7 billion. “The fact that we will likely wind up at $8 billion plus, considering how weak first quarter and April were in terms of revenue, is quite impressive.”

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