Last year was rough for theMarvel Cinematic Universe. It started withAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, arguably the worst MCU movie ever made.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3was a big step up, before The Marvels flopped with just shy of $200 million worldwide, the lowest returns in the franchise to date.
It remains to be seen ifDeadpool & Wolverinewill save the MCU, but it’s certainly poised to give movie theaters a big boost.
It’s currently estimated to rake in $360 million worldwide in its opening weekend ($160m more than The Marvels). Domestically, it’s expected to open with $170m, beating Inside Out 2’s $154m weekend earlier this year.
That would also make it the biggest opening weekend in history for an R-rated movie. For context, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 opened with around $300 million each, whileJokerraked in $234m in its first weekend.
Will Deadpool & Wolverine make $1 billion?
That’s the big question. There’s definitely a chance that Deadpool and Wolverine will cross the $1 billion barrier – it just depends on its staying power in theaters.
When it arrives in cinemas, it’ll swoop up the vast majority of premium formats, so say goodbye toTwistersin IMAX and other bigger screens. It’ll dominate multiplexes for at least two weeks, and then its legs will be truly tested.
MCU movies are usually frontloaded; for example, Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped more than 75% after its opening weekend, but still reached nearly $2 billion worldwide.
The first two Deadpool movies didn’t get close to $1 billion. But, given the wait for the character’s introduction in the MCU, Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine, and the widely expected array of cameos, this has serious potential.
Before it hits cinemas on July 25, read ourDeadpool and Wolverine review, our breakdown of theMarvel movies in order,the X-Men timeline, and our ranking of thebest superhero movies.
Cameron Frew is Deputy TV & Movies Editor on Dexerto’s UK team. He’s an action movie aficionado, ’80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he’s also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. He has previously written for LadBible, UniLad, and Flickering Myth. You can contact him at: cameron.frew@dexerto.com.
