'Deadpool 2' Had Biggest International Opening for an R-Rated Movie in History

Ryan Reynolds’ return as Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth in Deadpool 2 is officially the biggest [...]

Ryan Reynolds' return as Marvel's Merc with a Mouth in Deadpool 2 is officially the biggest international R-rated opening ever.

Deadpool 2 earned $176 million from international markets in its opening weekend, beating the previous record held by the original Deadpool movie. Domestically, Deadpool 2 earned $125 million in its weekend, which is impressive but still shy of the original Deadpool's $132.4 million R-rated opening weekend record. Globally, Deadpool 2 has made over $300 million.

This also makes Deadpool 2 the biggest international opening ever for 20th Century Fox and the two Deadpool movies Fox's two biggest all-around box office opening ever.

"For an R-rated flick, $125 million is just ridiculously good. It just goes to show you how Fox hit the cultural lightning rod the first time out," box-office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations told The Hollywood Reporter. "They woke up up a massive contingent of PG-13 superhero fans that weren't quite ready for what hit them with the first Deadpool. The love-fest was on, and word-of-mouth spread like wildfire. Deadpool 2 is more of the same."

Deadpool 2 also set a new opening day record for an R-rated movie, earning $53.3 million in its first day at the box office, which includes the record-setting $18.6 million the film made in early previews on Thursday night.

Deadpool 2 received an A CinemScore and has been generally well-received by both fans and critics alike. ComicBook.com's own Brandon Davis says in his review that Deadpool 2 is even better than the original:

"If only for the humor and action sequences, Deadpool 2 would have matched its predecessor in quality. Such a feat would be a detriment in the long term, as audiences will only stomach so many prompt innuendos for a crude laugh over time. Where Deadpool 2 excels further is in its heart. A somewhat sudden change of heart for the titular character who once refused to be called a hero implants a level of soul no one could have expected. What starts as a raunchy thrill ride takes sudden turns of emotional depth which will supplement the experience for the average moviegoers who can't grasp gags which come at other super hero films' expenses. In fact, the easy-to-follow but far-reaching emotional depth which hits late will help cement Deadpool 2 as the better of the two films so far."

What did you think of Deadpool 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Deadpool 2 is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming X-Men movies include X-Men: Dark Phoenix on February 14, 2019, Gambit on June 7, 2019, and The New Mutants on August 2, 2019.

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