Deadpool and Wolverine has helped revive Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe after it brought in some US$205 million in North American theatres during its opening weekend.
Reaching a spot in the top ten openings of all time, the third part of the comedy superhero franchise has also taken the title for the top weekend for an R-rated film, beating the original Deadpool’s US$132 million.
When including international sales from 52 markets, the Ryan Reynolds flick added an extra US$233 million, giving it a global opening of more than US$438 million.
In one of the top openings for cinemas this year, Deadpool and Wolverine is seated in eighth for top domestic opening weekends, slightly behind The Avengers (US$207 million) and ahead of Black Panther (US$202 million).
Last month, Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2 also broke records after its global opening weekend generated US$295 million, the most of any animated film ever.
Deadpool and Wolverine smashed Inside Out 2’s domestic sales and is the best opening since Barbie was released in 2023.
“It’s great news full stop,” said Tony Chambers, who leads theatrical distribution for Disney.
“Not only is it great for Disney, not only is it great for Marvel, but it’s great for the industry as a whole. We’ve said it before but success begets success.”