Deadpool & Wolverine smashes box office records with $96 million opening

WEB DESK: Disney and Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine, has leaped into the record books with an astounding $96 million from 4,210 locations on its opening Friday and preview screenings, as reported by Variety.

This marks the biggest domestic opening day of the year, surpassing Inside Out 2’s $62 million debut in June. It’s also the largest ever for an R-rated film and the sixth-highest opening of all time, unadjusted for inflation.

This monumental success is a major win for the wisecracking antihero and a major rebound for Marvel Studios, which is recovering from the underwhelming performance of The Marvels last fall. With such a strong start, the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman buddy comedy is poised for one of the largest domestic debuts ever.

The journey to theaters for Deadpool & Wolverine has been a long one. Reynolds’ previous turn as the character was in the summer of 2018, before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox.

The film faced delays due to last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In recent weeks, Reynolds and Jackman have been all over the promotional circuit, including a star-studded appearance at San Diego Comic-Con with director Shawn Levy and co-star Emma Corrin.

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Fans are clearly thrilled, as the action comedy received an “A” grade from Cinema Score, matching the high scores of the previous Deadpool films. Reviews have been largely positive, and while it’s uncertain how the film will fare after the initial weekend rush, it’s already set up for a substantial success with a $200 million production budget.

In the midst of this blockbuster frenzy, other films are also performing well. Amblin’s Twisters earned $10.2 million on Friday and is expected to gross around $36 million in its second weekend, marking a 56% drop from its debut but still strong against the Marvel juggernaut.

With its first week in theaters, the disaster sequel is already the ninth-biggest domestic hit of the year, projected to reach $155.6 million in its first 10 days.

Universal’s Despicable Me 4 grabbed third place with an estimated $14.5 million in its fourth weekend. This Illumination film is on track to surpass Dune: Part Two and become the second-highest-grossing domestic release of the year.

Disney’s Inside Out 2 continues to perform impressively in its seventh weekend, earning $2.5 million on Friday. It is set to become the highest-grossing animated feature ever in North America by surpassing Incredibles 2.

Finally, Neon’s horror hit Longlegs rounds out the top five with an estimated $6.8 million and a 43% drop in its third weekend. The indie thriller is expected to hit a commendable $58 million by the end of the weekend.