'DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE' OFF TO RECORD-BREAKING START AT BOX OFFICE WITH $35 MILLION-$40 MILLION COLLECTION IN R-RATED PREVIEW SHOWS
'Deadpool And Wolverine', the highly anticipated Marvel superhero movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the lead, finally debuted in theatres today, July 26. According to early box office reports, the movie is off to a record-breaking start at the box office with its preview night shows clocking some phenomenal numbers for the R-rated film.
According to Deadline, the third instalment in the 'Deadpool' franchise is currently eyeing a $35 million collection, according to early estimates. The film's numbers are expected to exceed $40 million by Friday morning (PST).
Should the film exceed the $31 million mark, it would place it among the top 10 highest-grossing preview night collections of all time. The R-rated film has already beaten the preview box office collections record, held by 'Deadpool 2' which earned an estimated $18.6 million in 2018. According to the report, the film saw phenomenal growth at the box office on Friday, earning $53 million and earned a three-day total of $125.5 million.
The first 'Deadpool' still holds the R-rated three-day record at $132.4 million, with $12.7 million collected in preview shows and an additional $47.3 million earned on its first Friday.
With a current 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 97% audience score, the collections for the weekend are only expected to rise with trade experts predicting that the film will make a record-breaking $170 million during its opening weekend.
Some reports even suggest that the film's R-rating or 'Adult' content, could pose as a hurdle and prevent it from reaching the heights of a PG-13 film like 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' or an 'Avengers: Infinity War'. While the 'Doctor Strange' movie earned an estimated $36 million in previews in 2022, leading to a $187.4 million three-day total, 'Avengers: Infinity War' raked in an estimated $39 million in previews, culminating in a $257.6 million three-day total in 2018.
The budget for 'Deadpool And Wolverine' is reportedly $200 million, according to Variety. This puts it on par with the Multiverse Saga's biggest instalments, including 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', and 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'. The film has an aditional budget of $100 million.
'Deadpool And Wolverine' should break even somewhere between $300 million - $400 million. This seems like an easy figure to achieve as box office projections set it up to make $360 million globally in its opening weekend alone.
Should the movie succeed in hitting the $360 million mark, it would hold the record for the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated movie of all time.