Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman star in Marvel's “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Disney
The Merc with a Mouth is breaking even more box office records.
During the weekend, Disney And Marvel's “Deadpool & Wolverine” became only the second R-rated film to surpass $1 billion at the global box office. It's on track to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Currently, that record is held by Warner Bros. According to data from Comscore, “Joker” grossed $1.078 billion during its theatrical run in 2019, while “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed $1.029 billion, according to estimates from Sunday.
“This film laid the groundwork for creating the perfect box office beast, from a novel marketing strategy that included a viral popcorn bucket to a perfect release date, Ryan Reynolds’ tireless promotion of the film, and most importantly, a great movie that was embraced by critics and fans alike, leading up to this moment just three weeks after the film began playing in theaters around the world,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Another great moment for Disney after what was a fairly slow post-pandemic period for the studio.”
This third standalone feature starring Ryan Reynolds as the regenerating degenerate has already posted the biggest opening of any film released in 2024 and holds the record for the highest debut for an R-rated film of all time.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is the first R-rated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the previous two Deadpool films were produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Disney acquired that studio in 2019.
It's also Disney's second film to top $1 billion at the global box office this year. Pixar's “Inside Out 2” has generated more than $1.5 billion since its June release. Box office analysts expect “Deadpool & Wolverine” won't be the company's last this year, either. “Moana 2” is set to open in theaters over the Thanksgiving holiday, and forecasts suggest it could also hit the billion-dollar mark.
These massive blockbusters come after a string of failures for Disney’s traditionally surefire franchises, including the lowest opening and lowest grossing for a Marvel film in history. As Disney looks to rebuild its reputation and recapture box office magic, it’s relying heavily on existing, beloved franchises. During the company’s biannual D23 Expo, it shared details about upcoming titles from all of its studios.
That includes major animated sequels like “Toy Story 5,” “Zootopia 2,” “Frozen III” and “Incredibles 3,” as well as a slew of new Marvel titles like “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts*,” “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “Blade,” “Avengers: Judgment Day” (formerly titled “Avengers: Kang Dynasty”) and “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Also shown was footage from “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first Star Wars film to hit the big screen since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”
It's no surprise that Disney is getting back on track with these films. The Toy Story franchise has generated $3.2 billion at the global box office, the two Frozen films have grossed more than $2.7 billion worldwide, the two Incredibles films have grossed $1.8 billion worldwide and “Zootopia” hit $1 billion worldwide during its 2016 run.
As for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, surpassing $30 billion at the global box office since 2008. And Star Wars has a strong track record, too, generating more than $10 billion in ticket sales since “A New Hope” hit theaters in 1977.
“The billion-dollar club may not be the only metric by which theatrical success is defined, but it's still emblematic of a film's ability to capture the global zeitgeist,” said Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, a box office and theatrical analytics and consulting firm. “'Deadpool & Wolverine' has done that in a resounding way, so Disney and Marvel's return to the top ten digits is worth celebrating.”
