‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ delivers No. 1 R-rated opening with $205 million debut

• Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” raked in $205 million during its opening weekend in North American cinemas, based on studio estimates released Sunday.
• The film broke the previous opening weekend record for R-rated films, previously set by the original “Deadpool” ($132 million), and now stands as the 8th highest opening weekend of all time.
• Totaling $277.5 million, “Deadpool & Wolverine” secured a top 10 rank for domestic weekends, according to Comscore.

Marvel has returned to prominence with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which impressively earned $205 million in its first weekend at North American theaters, per studio estimates on Sunday. Not only did it break the R-rated film opening record set by the first “Deadpool” ($132 million), but it also earned a coveted place among the top 10 openings of all time.

Globally, including its international earnings of $233.3 million across 52 markets, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is projected to exceed a remarkable total of over $438.3 million.

In a fitting introduction of both characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Deadpool & Wolverine” felt more like an Avengers film than previous X-Men or Deadpool entries. In terms of domestic opening weekends, it ranks 8th, wedged between “The Avengers” ($207.4 million) and “Black Panther” ($202 million), replacing “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($191.3 million) from the top 10.

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This is, by far, the largest opening of the year, surpassing Disney’s “Inside Out 2” ($154.2 million) and marking the highest ticket sales for a debut weekend since “Barbie” ($162 million) debuted the previous July. With screenings in 4,210 locations, “Deadpool & Wolverine” outperformed 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191.8 million) to achieve the largest July opening ever, marking the 34th successive MCU film to launch at number one—figures that were once deemed unattainable for an R-rated feature.

“This is fantastic news all around,” stated Tony Chambers, head of theatrical distribution for Disney. “This triumph is not only beneficial for Disney and Marvel but for the industry as a whole. We’ve noted before that success breeds success.”

Chambers remarked that achieving these figures with an R-rating was “nothing short of phenomenal.”

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson, left, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan, right, appear in a scene from “Deadpool & Wolverine.” (20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios via AP)

The Walt Disney Studios release comes at a crucial moment for an industry facing ongoing box office declines, currently down by double digits compared to last year. Disney has been instrumental in the summer box office, delivering the top movies from May (“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”), June (“Inside Out 2”), and now July.

This success also represents a significant turning point for Marvel Studios, which has encountered several notable failures recently, including “The Marvels,” which debuted at an all-time low of $47 million for the MCU last November.

Meanwhile, superhero films from other studios have struggled: Sony, which reached a peak with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.9 billion globally), faced a low with “Madame Web,” which barely managed to cross $100 million. Warner Bros. Discovery is reorganizing its DC universe following disappointing performances by “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle,” under the guidance of James Gunn.

The resurgence of Marvel came via two characters who began outside the MCU. Deadpool and Wolverine, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, originally belonged to 21st Century Fox, which held the rights to Marvel characters like “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” for twenty years. This changed when Disney acquired the studio’s film and TV properties in early 2019, leading to plans for integrating these characters into Kevin Feige’s MCU framework. For “Deadpool & Wolverine,” directed by Shawn Levy, the actors’ dynamic with their roles was paramount.

This weekend at the Comic-Con fan event, Marvel hinted at future developments, including the return of Robert Downey Jr.—not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom.

Initially, projections for the weekend suggested a domestic total of $200 million seemed overly optimistic, with analysts estimating about $160 million. Yet from the outset of the 3 p.m. Thursday preview screenings, it became evident that “Deadpool & Wolverine” would outperform expectations. By the close of Friday, it had already amassed $96 million and achieved an A CinemaScore from viewers. Critics have generally offered positive feedback, with premium formats like IMAX accounting for 18% of the total box office.

“Traditionally, PG-13 films yield the best box office returns,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

“The concept that R-rated films have a box office ceiling has been unequivocally shattered this weekend. The more daring content actually boosts its appeal to older teens and young adults in their twenties.”

The record for the highest domestic opening still belongs to “Avengers: Endgame,” with a staggering $357.1 million, 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).

In second place was Universal’s “Twisters,” now in its second weekend, earning $35.3 million. This standalone sequel to “Twister” has grossed $154.9 million in North America so far. Universal also secured third place with “Despicable Me 4,” which gained $14.2 million during its fourth weekend for a total domestic haul of nearly $291 million.

“Inside Out 2” took fourth place with $8.3 million. This Disney and Pixar release became the largest animated film ever with $613.4 million domestically (surpassing “Incredibles 2”) and $1.5 billion worldwide. It also overtook “Top Gun: Maverick” to become the 12th highest-grossing global release of all time.

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All of these figures contribute to one of the top 10 domestic grossing weekends in history, with a combined total of $277.5 million, according to Comscore. This exceeds last year’s weekend, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” combined to elevate the box office to over $216.9 million in their second weekends.

“This is a moment for the history books,” Dergarabedian remarked. “Let’s hope this momentum continues into August.”

Estimated ticket sales for the weekend from Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters are sourced from Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Deadpool & 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.