As expected, Disney/Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” is soaring high at the box office, scoring an unbelievable $38.5 million from Thursday preview screenings.
It’s the highest preview total ever for an R-rated film, and the eighth highest for any film in domestic box office history. With this start, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is in strong position to become the ninth film in history and sixth from Marvel Studios to earn a $200 million-plus domestic launch.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” has been well reviewed by critics, sporting an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But even if it was panned, there is no stopping this film as fans at preview screenings have been gushing over its references to Fox-produced Marvel films much as they did for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and its references to the webslinger’s cinematic history.
It’s still too early to nail down just how high “D&W” will reach, as films that have earned this high a preview total have had wildly varying final opening weekend totals. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” earned $40 million in previews and went on to open to $177 million in 2019, while “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” earned $36 million in previews and went on to open to $187 million.
Conversely, there’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” which earned $39 million in previews and went on to earn a then-record $257 million domestic opening weekend. While two exhibition sources who spoke to TheWrap wouldn’t put down a prediction, they’re optimistic for a $200 million-plus result given that early audience reception has been as strong as any of the MCU’s biggest hits.
Overseas, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed $64.8 million from 48 markets in two days, led by Mexico with $6.6 million and the United Kingdom with $6 million. Disney estimates that at this pace, the film is tracking 48% in the same suite of markets ahead of “Deadpool 2,” with openings in China, Poland and India today.
If it keeps this torrid pace, “Deadpool & Wolverine” will join “Joker” as the second R-rated film to gross $1 billion at the global box office.
