Deadpool Hits $47.5 Million Opening Day Box Office, Projected For $130 Million Plus Holiday Weekend

Deadpool is exceeding even the most optimistic early projections for the film. Made on only a $58 million budget, the film has a good chance of doubling that amount in its first weekend at the U.S. box office alone.

Deadpool brought in a $12.7 million during a Thursday night preview showing, setting a new record for both a R-Rated film and a February release. On Friday, Deadpool added to those numbers, bringing its opening day box office to a staggering $47.5 million.

Friday's haul set a new opening day box office record for an R-rated film and for February, and the odds are good that it will break the same records for opening weekend. To do that, it beat the $30 million Fridays for both Fifty Shades of Grey and American Sniper, obviously by a substantial margin.

With the better than predicted opening day, opening weekend projections for Deadpool are being revised way up. Early industry projections had Deadpool pegged at a $65 million to $70 million opening weekend. The idea of a R-Rated film breaking $100 million on opening weekend was inconceivable to many box office analysts.

Now, projections have Deadpool possibly exceeding $115 million during the 3-day weekend and hitting around $130 million over the 4-day holiday weekend.

If Deadpool hits those projections, the film will break the opening weekend record for a R-Rated film, which is currently held by The Matrix Reloaded at $91.77 million. Deadpool is also on pace to break the February opening weekend, which is currently held by Fifty Shades of Grey at $85.17 million.

Deadpool has been receiving a very strong positive reaction from both critics and fans. The film is stacked with action, has several laugh-out-loud moments, and moves at a brisk pace. All things that are helping to bring viewers back to the theater for the multiple viewings of the film.

Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.