'Deadpool 2' Opening Falls Short of Expectations
by EG
After a record-setting opening night, it looked like Deadpool 2 was on its way to a gigantic debut weekend, with some observers predicting a weekend take of $150 million. In the end, the sequel earned just $125 million, significantly short of the opening of its predecessor. It was still the third-biggest opening of the year so far, but it could hint at trouble for next week, when Deadpool facing strong competition from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Superheroes continued to dominate the box office over the weekend as Ryan Reynolds and Fox's Deadpool 2 bowed to $125 million domestically and $301 million globally after scoring the biggest foreign debut ever for an R-rated title.
After falling off more than expected on Saturday, the sequel couldn't match the North American opening of the first Deadpool, which launched to $132.4 million in February 2016, the best showing in history for an R-rated title. Nevertheless, Deadpool 2 still scored the third-best domestic bow of the year to date behind fellow superhero tentpoles Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, as well as the No. 2 launch ever for an R-rated film. It is also Fox's second biggest weekend opening in history behind Deadpool.
Overseas, Deadpool 2 rocketed to $176 million from 81 markets, Fox's biggest opening of all time internationally — and that's without China, where the film doesn't yet have a release date. X-Men: Days of Future Past was the previous Fox champ ($174 million), while Fox's Logan had been the record holder for biggest foreign bow for an R-rated movie ($160 million).
Playing in a total of 4,349 theaters in North America — the widest release in Fox history — Deadpool 2 was frontloaded. It earned a massive $18.6 million in Thursday-evening previews, followed by $53 million on Friday, the top opening day for an R-rated pic. Like Deadpool, the sequel earned an A CinemaScore from audiences. The film skewed male (61 percent), while a pleasing 38 percent of ticket buyers were under the age of 25.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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