Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine supercharged the weekend box office with a massive $205.0M opening, lifting the total for all films to $277.5M.
This compares with a gross of $213.6M last year on this same weekend, led by Barbie’s $93.0M and Oppenheimer’s $46.7M in their second weekend, and Haunted Mansion’s opening of $24.1M.
It was an impressive recovery from last weekend, when the year-over-year comparison looked bleak compared with last year’s dual openings of Barbie and Oppenheimer. The quick turnaround bodes well for the health of the movie business and its outlook for the rest of 2024.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s impressive total was the biggest opening ever for an R-rated movie, shattering the previous record held by the first Deadpool, which earned $132.4M in the weekend of February 12-14, 2016. In fact, it was the 8th biggest opening of all time, just ahead of Black Panther, which opened to $202.0M from February 16-18, 2018.
REELated:
Deadpool & Wolverine is the third movie in the Deadpool franchise, which has drawn large audiences since it first arrived in 2016.
Deadpool Franchise Box Office Results
| Title | Release Date | Opening Weekend | Domestic Total | Production Budget | Critics Score | Audience Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deadpool | 2/12/2016 | $132.4M | $363.1M | $58M | 85% | 90% |
| Deadpool 2 | 5/18/2018 | $125.5M | $324.6M | $110M | 84% | 86% |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | 7/26/2024 | $205.0M | TBD | $200M | 80% | 97% |
After this huge opening, the current chapter stands a good chance of being the highest-grossing movie in the Deadpool franchise. It may even become the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, surpassing The Passion of the Christ, which earned $371M in the U.S. and Canada in 2004, and Joker, which earned $1.078B worldwide in 2019.
Deadpool & Wolverine is benefiting from a masterstroke in casting, teaming up the wise-cracking Deadpool with Wolverine, a popular Marvel character in his own right. While recovering from his injuries, Wolverine crosses paths with Deadpool, and the two agree to join forces to defeat a common enemy.
The movie is directed by Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. While the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score has drifted down to a franchise-low 79%, audiences have weighed in with a series-best rating of 97%.
Weekend Box Office Update: July 26-28
Last weekend’s top movie Twisters took second place by earning $35.3M in its second weekend, a decline of 57%.
After 10 days, it has grossed $154.9M domestically and $374.2M worldwide. Despite the all-eclipsing arrival of Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters should continue to have a successful summer, based on positive word-of-mouth as indicated by its 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its swirling action is well-suited to the big screen.
Twister/Twisters Comparison After 10 Days in Theatres
Last weekend’s top movie Twisters took second place by earning $35.3M in its second weekend, a decline of 57%. After 10 days, it has grossed $154.9M domestically and $374.2M worldwide. Despite the all-eclipsing arrival of Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters should continue to have a successful summer, based on positive word-of-mouth as indicated by its 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its swirling action is well-suited to the big screen.
Universal and Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 continues to perform admirably, finishing in third place this weekend with an additional $14.2M, a decline of 42%. After 26 days in theatres, its total stands at $291.0M domestically and $617.8M worldwide.
Despicable Me/Minions Franchise History
Despicable Me 4 will wind up as either the third or fourth highest-grossing movie from the series, with an outside chance of reaching $1B in worldwide ticket sales.
Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 finished in fourth place by adding $8.3M this weekend, a drop of 35%. It is now the highest-grossing animated movie of all time in the domestic market, with its $613.4M surpassing the $608.6M earned by Incredibles 2 in 2018.
Inside Out 2 Passes Incredibles 2 to Become Highest-Grossing Animated Film of All Time
| Title | Domestic Gross |
|---|---|
| Incredibles 2 | $608.6M |
| Inside Out 2 | $613.4M (45 Days) |
Among animated films, the $1.482B worldwide total for Inside Out 2 places it higher than the $1.454B earned by Frozen II in 2019 and 2020 but lower than the $1.663B earned by Disney’s The Lion King remake of 2019. Some consider The Lion King remake to be a live-action film, utilizing a process known as “photorealistic” animation that differs significantly from traditional or computer-based animation.
Neon’s horror film Longlegs finished in fifth place with $6.8M this weekend, a drop of 43%. Its 17-day total of $58.6M has pushed it past Parasite to become the highest-grossing title in the domestic market in the seven-year history of the indie studio.
Longlegs Passes Parasite as Neon’s Top Film of All Time
| Title | Release Date | Opening Weekend | Domestic Total | Production Budget | Critics Score | Audience Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longlegs | 7/12/24 | $22.6M | $58.6M | $9.0M | 86% | 61% |
| Parasite | 10/11/19 | $393K | $53.4M | $11.4M | 99% | 90% |
Year-to-Date Box Office Update: 7/25
After 29 weeks, the 2024 year-to-date box office is 79% of 2023 totals and 66% of 2019 totals at this same point in the year.
| Year-to-Date Comparison | 2024 Total | Percentage of 2023 | Percentage of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Weeks | $4,309,531,000 | 79% | 66% |
This article was brought to you free. The independent team who brought it to you is not. Please support Reel 360 News and Reel Chicago by donating here.
