Deadpool & Wolverine Projected for $200+ Million Opening

Deadpool & Wolverine is already guaranteed to be a box office hit – the only real question is: how BIG of a box office hit will it be? 

Current early projections are in, and they claim that Deadpool & Wolverine is set to earn upwards of $200M-$240M, domestically, in its opening weekend. Even though major Hollywood trades report that figure, they are reporting it with pronounced skepticism. 

There has never been an R-rated movie that has opened to $200M+, so the idea of Deadpool & Wolverine breaking that barrier can’t be accepted without some level of questioning or doubt. That said, Deadpool & Wolverine is really competing with it own franchise legacy: the first Deadpool (2016) movie still holds the record for R-rated movie openings, earning $132.4M as a February release. A jump to $200M wouldn’t just be a record for the Deadpool franchise and all involved (including new personal records for Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy), it would be the kind of bar that Marvel Studios, Disney, and returning CEO Bob Iger have set as the benchmark for getting the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to the kind of success it used to have, pre-pandemic. Deadpool & Wolverine trailers have joked that the filmmakers and characters are all too aware of how much is riding on this next MCU film, and these projections will instill confidence. It’s noted that premium format ticket sales (IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX, etc.) are also looking very strong. 

What Is Deadpool & Wolverine About? 

The trailer and early synopsis for Deadpool & Wolverine have teased the story of Wade Wilson (Reynolds) being detained by the TVA and sent on a mission. Wade recruits an emotionally-broken Wolverine variant from a dark timeline where the X-Men died, and their mission takes them to the multiversal wasteland the TVA has been using as a dumping ground, and where the beast Alioth (as seen in Loki) roams. Somewhere in that mix is Cassandra Nova (Emma Corin), a villain with deep ties to Charles Xavier, and a malevolent history in X-Men comics. 

Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Returning Deadpool franchise stars include Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Rob Delaney as Peter, and Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, and Stefan Kapičić reprising their respective roles as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yumiko, and Colossus of the X-Men. Matthew Macfadyen plays TVA Agent Paradox, and Emma Corin plays Cassandra Nova, the villainous, telepathic twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier. 

Deadpool & Wolverine has a release date of July 26th – the 11th Anniversary of The Wolverine’s release. 

Source: Deadline