Deadpool & Wolverine Smashes 20-year Record to Become Highest-grossing R-rated Movie Ever

Deadpool & Wolverine becomes the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, earning $395.6 million domestically and $824.1 million globally. With the Marvel Studios blockbuster, July saw Hollywood's first $1 billion month since last year.

New York:After just 10 days in theaters, Deadpool & Wolverine has become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, not accounting for inflation. Over its second weekend, the Marvel Studios blockbuster, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, earned $97 million, bringing its total to $395.6 million. This surpasses the previous record held by The Passion of the Christ, which had earned $370 million domestically over 20 years.

• Impressive Global Earnings

Worldwide, Deadpool & Wolverine has swiftly accumulated $824.1 million in ticket sales, exceeding the global earnings of the first two Deadpool films. The original 2016 film made $782.6 million globally, while the 2018 sequel earned $734.5 million.

• About Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine marks the first time Reynolds and Jackman's characters appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The trailer featured multiple jokes about Disney and the MCU, though both characters previously appeared in films under the 21st Century Fox banner.

This release comes amid growing concerns about "superhero fatigue," with audiences showing decreasing interest in superhero movies, whether in the MCU or elsewhere. Part of this fatigue stems from the need to have extensive background knowledge of characters and comics to fully appreciate the films.

From the beginning, the Deadpool franchise has been known for its subversive, self-aware take on the superhero genre, often poking fun at comic books, Hollywood, and its own star and co-writer, Ryan Reynolds.

Given this, it was expected that Deadpool & Wolverine continues its tradition of breaking the fourth wall. Despite embracing the superhero movie formula more than its predecessors, the film maintains its self-aware humour, highlighting the paradox of critiquing comic book movie clichés while being one itself.

Weekend Box Office Estimates

• Deadpool & Wolverine – $97 million
• Twisters – $22.7 million
• Trap – $15.6 million
• Despicable Me 2 – $11.3 million
• Inside Out 2 – $6.7 million
• Harold and the Purple Crayon – $6 million
• Longlegs – $4.1 million
• A Quiet Place: Day One – $1.4 million
• Daaru Na Peenda Hove – $615,782
• Bad Boys: Ride or Die – $600,000

(Box office data source: Associated Press)

• Hollywood's Mixed July

July ended with Hollywood's best month in a year and its first $1 billion month since July 2023. While this July saw the success of Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine, comparisons to last year’s blockbuster releases like Barbie and Oppenheimer show a mixed performance. Earlier in the year, a sparse release schedule and some notable flops had put the box office in a difficult position. AMC Theatres reported a $32.8 million loss for the second quarter of 2024.

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