‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is already breaking box office records, with more possible soon

(AP) — “Deadpool & Wolverine” has gotten off to a supercharged start at the box office, breaking the Thursday preview record for an R-rated movie. The comic-book film sold an estimated $38.5 million worth of movie tickets from preview screenings Thursday, Disney said Friday.

The previous R-rated record-holder was “Deadpool 2,” released by Fox’s 20th Century Studios in May of 2018. That made $18.6 million from Thursday previews and went on to make $125.5 million in its first weekend.

In fact, the previews played more like “Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker” ($40 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($39 million) than the previous two “Deadpool” movies.

The arrival of “Deadpool & Wolverine” has been long awaited by both audiences and theater owners. The box office as a whole continues to trail last year (down 17%), partially due to ripple effects of the actors strike affecting release schedule and a lack of major hits. Compared to the pre-pandemic 2019, 2024 is down over 34%.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is also the first Marvel movie of the summer season — a crucial 123-day earnings corridor for Hollywood that often accounts for some 40% of the annual box office total. Unlike many summers over the past decade, this year did not kick off with a blockbuster Marvel film; The business has been struggling to regain that footing since.

Also at play is the idea of “superhero fatigue” at the box office, in which there have been more disappointments than runaway hits lately. But “Deadpool & Wolverine” seems to be immune from that crisis.

With positive reviews and genuine fan enthusiasm, it is cruising to break more records over the weekend, where it’s playing on over 4,200 screens in the United States and Canada. Analysts expect it to earn at least $160 million through Sunday, which would make it the biggest R-rated opener of all time, unseating the first “Deadpool,” and the biggest debut of 2024.

To crack the top 10 openings of all time, however, “Deadpool & Wolverine” would have to vastly overperform and make at least $191.3, or enough to bump “Avengers: Age of Ultron” into 11th place.

It's also playing in 48 markets internationally where it's earned $64.8 million in its first two days.

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By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

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