‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to Open in Glorious Fashion

Marvel and Disney‘s Deadpool & Wolverine is at last unfurling in cinemas, reuniting on-screen and off-screen BFFs Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, the latter of which is the mastermind behind the irreverent series. Fellow BFF Shawn Levy directed. In addition to North America, the movie is also opening around the globe and is expected to do massive numbers after a whirlwind press tour with its top stars.

Tracking suggests Deadpool 3 will open between $160 and $175 million in North America, a record for an R-rated film and $180 million to $190 million internationally for a piggybank filled with around $350 million. Some believe that could include crossing $200 million domestically, but most box office experts say that might be impossible because of the R-rating. Then again, it is the first R-rated title to be released by Disney, a mammoth conglomerate with plenty of opportunities for cross promotion.

The features stars Reynolds as the fun-loving, foul-mouthed antihero Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as the introverted, intense Wolverine/Logan. (Wolverine was the most popular character in the X-Men universe of films, and was last seen in the stand-alone movie Logan in 2017.) The story centers on Wade Wilson being reluctantly pulled out of retirement to do what any good antihero or superhero does: save the world.

The first Deadpool made history when opening to $133.7 million domestically in February 2016, the biggest start ever for an R-rated title — a record it still holds — and proving that a superhero pic could draw big crowds despite the restrictive rating. A little more than two years later, Deadpool 2 debuted to $125.5 million. Much has changed in the time since.

Namely, Kevin Feige‘s Marvel took over the Deadpool franchise when Marvel parent company Disney swallowed up 20th Century Fox, which had rights to the X-Men universe of characters. Deadpool & Wolverine is the first R-rated movie ever released by Disney, Marvel or otherwise. Disney CEO Bob Iger indicated from the get-go when the merger closed that the franchise wasn’t in danger of losing its R-rated status.

Levy and Reynolds, who co-wrote the script with veteran Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, along with writer Zeb Wells, also faced the challenge of having to shut down production during last year’s labor strikes. Production resumed in November when the SAG-AFTRA walkout was settled, and they were able to meet their summer release date, a top priority for Reynolds.

No other big studio dared open opposite Deadpool & Wolverine, so it will easily top the chart.