Deadpool Has Sights Set On Record-Breaking Box Office Weekend
By Nick Tylwalk
Though it’s very early in its box office run, it looks like Deadpool is a hit. And much to the delight of the unusually self-aware superhero himself, it just might shoot down some box office records over the next few days.
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Deadpool has already notched one record, as Comic Book Resources reports that it brought in $12.7 million in Thursday night showings, the best preview night for an R-rated movie so far. The next target is Fifty Shades of Grey, which holds the title for best four-day President’s Day weekend take with $93 million despite most people agreeing it was awful.
Awful is something Deadpool is not, currently holding an 84 percent Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. That should help the word of mouth for the film and give it a chance for more potential opening weekend records.
What else is in play? Box Office Mojo think the all-time opening weekend mark for an R-rated movie, The Matrix Reloaded at $91.7 million, is out of reach. It could, however, topple Fifty Shades of Grey for the top February opening weekend ever and make a run at American Sniper, the winter champ for opening weekends at $89.2 million.
It should also comfortably set a new record for best opening weekend for an R-rated comic book adaptation. The current champ in that category is 300 at just a tad under $71 million, but with Deadpool forecast for around $35 million on Friday alone, that mark should fall more easily than Wade Wilson’s body stitches itself back together.
Next: Deadpool Review: No Holding Back
All of this should be welcome news for Fox, which has reportedly already given the go-ahead for Deadpool 2. Maybe Wade’s current in-continuity comic book status as one of the world’s most popular superheroes isn’t as crazy as it first appeared.