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Deadpool, the R-rated comic book movie which features Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, surpassed all expectations at the US box office this weekend, taking $135 million and setting a new benchmark for President’s Day Weekend.
The movie had been tracking well, and many had pegged it to take in the region of $60-$70 million, but doubling this figure must be beyond 20th Century Fox’s wildest dreams, especially given its modest production budget of $58 million.
When the four-day weekend figures are released its expected that Deadpool will finish with $150 million.
We’ve seen R-rated films perform well at the box office before, but never to this level. Fifty Shades of Grey set the previous President’s Day Weekend record of $85.2 million last year, and even The Matrix Reloaded’s long-standing R-rated movie record of $91.8 million was devastated by Deadpool.
The film’s marketing campaign has been a winner from the start.
“This campaign made Deadpool accessible to all quadrants regardless of age, gender or ethnicity,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s domestic distribution chief. “This character connected.”
Globally Deadpool made $260 million, although will miss out on the Chinese market having been banned because of its explicit content.
For Reynolds it’s a chance to return to the top after a series of misfires, notably Green Lantern and R.I.P.D.
“All it takes is one gigantic, massive, record-breaking movie to put a career back on track,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore.
A Deadpool sequel is already in the works.
Source: Variety
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