Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman star in Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Disney
“Merc with a Mouth” is breaking more box office records.
On weekends, Disney and Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” has become the second R-rated film to gross $1 billion at the global box office. And it’s on track to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Currently, that record is held by Warner Bros. Studios “Joker” grossed $1.078 billion during its 2019 theatrical run, according to data from Comscore. “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed $1.029 billion, according to Sunday estimates.
“This movie laid out the blueprint for how to create the perfect box office monster, from a novel marketing strategy that included a viral popcorn bucket to a perfect release date, Ryan Reynolds’ tireless promotion of the movie and most importantly a great movie that was well received by both critics and fans, leading to this moment just three weeks after the movie opened in theaters around the world,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Another great moment for Disney after a rather slow post-pandemic period for the studio.”
This third standalone film starring Ryan Reynolds as the reborn degenerate had the highest opening weekend of any film released in 2024 and holds the record for highest opening ever for an R-rated film.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is the first R-rated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the previous two Deadpool films were both produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, which Disney acquired in 2019.
It’s also Disney’s second film to gross $1 billion at the global box office this year. Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has grossed more than $1.5 billion since its June release. Box office analysts predict “Deadpool & Wolverine” won’t be the company’s last film this year either. “Moana 2” is scheduled to hit theaters over the Thanksgiving holiday and Forecasts suggest it could also reach the $1 billion mark.
These big box office successes come after a string of failures from Disney’s traditionally bulletproof franchises, including the lowest opening weekend and gross ever for a Marvel movie. As Disney looks to rebuild its reputation and recapture the magic at the box office, relies heavily on existing and popular franchises. During the company’s biennial D23 Expo, It has shared detailed information about upcoming titles from all studios.
It 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*,” “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” “Blade,” “Avengers: Doomsday” (formerly titled “Avengers: Kang Dynasty) and “Avengers: Secret Wars.” There’s also footage from “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first Star Wars movie to hit the big screen since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”
It’s no surprise that Disney is back with these films. The Toy Story series has made $3.2 billion at the global box office, the two Frozen films have crossed $2.7 billion worldwide, the two Incredibles films have topped $1.8 billion globally, and “Zootopia” hit $1 billion worldwide during its 2016 run.
For the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s the highest-grossing film series of all time, grossing more than $30 billion at the global box office since 2008. And Star Wars also has a solid track record of generating more than $10 billion in ticket sales since “A New Hope” hit theaters in 1977.
“The billion-dollar box office club may not be the only measure of theatrical success, but it is 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 analysis and consulting firm. “‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ did it in a big way, making Disney and Marvel’s return to the ten-figures something to celebrate.”
