The Merc with the Mouth is back on the big screen, and he’s making a splash.
Directed by Shawn Levy with franchise mastermind and star Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool & Wolverine premiered with a record-breaking $205 million at the domestic box office, making it the eighth biggest opening ever and the largest for an R-rated film, not adjusted for inflation. The previous record-holder was the first Deadpool, with $133.7 million.
Internationally, the movie set new records for an R-rated film, opening to $233.3 million from 55 markets, for a worldwide total of $438.3 million. Premium format screens contributed 18 percent of the gross, including $36.5 million from Imax sales, setting July and R-rated records for the large-format exhibitor. The threequel, featuring Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, was expected to open to $160 million to $175 million in North America.
Domestically, the film set records for the biggest opening for Reynolds, Levy, and Jackman, and the fifth-largest superhero launch. It’s also the biggest July opening ever, the largest opening of 2024 so far, and the biggest since Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2021.
Globally, it marked the biggest opening since Avatar: The Way of Water. It also pushed Marvel’s MCU movies past the $30 billion mark in combined worldwide ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing franchise in history, including movies distributed by Sony, Paramount, and Universal.
Deadpool & Wolverine is Disney’s first R-rated release and marks a comeback for Kevin Feige’s Disney-owned Marvel after a challenging period. The movie’s success was driven by strong reviews, stellar audience reception, and a 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the second-highest for a Marvel film behind Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The film’s audience was 63 percent male, typical for superhero films, but it also attracted a more ethnically diverse crowd. White moviegoers made up 43 percent of ticket buyers, followed by Latino (30 percent), Black (13 percent), Asian (9 percent), and Native American/Others (5 percent), according to PostTrak data. The R-rated movie performed well across all age groups, including the under-17 crowd.
