Deadpool & Wolverine, the first R-rated film from Disney/Marvel Studios, is estimated to open between $160 million and $165 million at the US box office on the July 26–28 weekend, according to three-week-ahead box office tracking services. Deadpool & Wolverine might surpass Deadpool, the first edition of the franchise, to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, according to calculations by Variety. It would also be a much-needed lift for the superhero genre as a whole as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie, which was directed by Shawn Levy, centres on Ryan Reynolds’s character Wade Wilson/Deadpool, a popular, goofy and foul-mouthed anti-hero who teams up with Hugh Jackman’s character Logan from Wolverine to fight a common foe.
Deadline reports that as of the movie’s July 26 release date, presales are at $19 million (Rs 158 crores), 15% less than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but higher than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The original Deadpool created history in February 2016 by opening to $133.7 million (Rs 1,118 crores) domestically. This was the highest start ever for an R-rated film and it demonstrated that a superhero movie could still pull large audiences in spite of its restrictive rating.
After a little over two years, Deadpool 2 had its $125.5 million (over Rs 1,049 crore) premiere. Needless to say, Deadpool & Wolverine is a very male-oriented film, but Deadline reports that Disney wants to increase the percentage of women who watch the film.
Reynolds’ mouth-shaped mercenary resembled Taylor Swift’s Evermore album cover in a recent social media picture, igniting speculation that the singer may feature in the movie. The Marvels became a watershed event for Kevin Feige and his team, grossing $46 million (Rs 384 crore) in November 2023.
Deadpool & Wolverine appears to be the relief they require, in addition to being the second significant box office triumph for Disney following Inside Out 2, which broke the $1 billion (Rs 8,357 crore) threshold after debuting with the highest domestic opening of the year at $154 million (Rs 1,288 crore).
Disney has released at least three Marvel films since 2017. However, Disney has indicated that it would be producing fewer Marvel films and television series going forward due to some poor box office figures and complaints about the quality of Marvel films in recent years.
But if all goes as planned, Disney will be releasing four Marvel films next year. That means films like Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World will finally be seen on a big screen after several delays.
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