Less than a year after releasing The Marvels, the worst-performing film in Marvel’s history, the superhero studio has landed the best opening box office weekend of 2024.
Driving the news: Canadian director-actor team Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds delivered what looks to be the movie of the year after Deadpool & Wolverine raked in US$444 million on opening weekend, a new record for an R-rated film and the sixth-highest-grossing debut of all time.
- The banner weekend followed better-than-expected box office performances from Inside Out 2, Twisters, and Despicable Me 4 over the past two months.
Why it matters: Deadpool & Wolverine’s blend of brand recognition and R-rated flavour has buoyed a lacklustre summer movie slate that the industry feared would kill the box office momentum built up from last year’s Barbenheimer craze.
- The sparse 2024 movie schedule, a product of last year’s Hollywood strikes, contributed to the worst second-quarter box office performance since 1976, excluding the pandemic.
Big picture: Marvel has made a staggering $30 billion at the box office since 2008. While superhero flicks may not be the surefire hits they used to be, the franchise's most popular characters are still able to buck the worst of viewership trends at theatres.—LA