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20th Century Fox
Deadpool wasn’t just big this weekend, it was big in a way that could change assumptions about which movies get greenlit. But first, how big: Early estimates have Deadpool going $135 million for the three-day and $150 million for the four-day weekend (domestic gross), setting a number of records. It became the first R-rated movie ever to open bigger than $100 million, and smashed the previous biggest R-rated opening (Matrix Reloaded, in 2003) even adjusted for inflation. Not adjusted for inflation, it’s the 17th biggest opening weekend (for any rating) of all time.
All this on an insanely-low-for-a-superhero-movie budget of $58 million. Early expectations had it going $65 to $75 million, which gives you some idea of how shocking $135-150 million is.
It’s the biggest opening weekend in 20th Century Fox’s history, bigger than any of the prior X-Men films and larger than any of their six Star Wars entries. Regarding comic book movies, it’s the seventh-biggest such debut of all time, behind only two Avengers films, two Dark Knight pics, Iron Man 3 and Spider-Man 3. Concerning non-sequels, it’s right between The Hunger Games ($152m) and Man of Steel ($128m). […] Deadpool just topped the biggest R-rated comic book superhero movie (Wanted‘s $134 million domestic gross) and the biggest R-rated costumed superhero comic book movie (Watchmen‘s $107m domestic gross) in the first four days of release. [Forbes]
As to why this is important, aside from paying for a lifetime cocaine supply for Fox execs, the conventional wisdom has long been that superhero movies were at least partly for kids, and that making one R-rated would be leaving money on the table. In fact, this was thought to be more or less true for all movies, leading to bizarre decisions like making a PG-13 Expendables movie. With Deadpool opening bigger than any X-Men movie (which is nothing short of shocking, frankly), all that goes out the window (at least, it should).
This was a movie that took 11 years for Fox to greenlight, and now it has an opening that couldn’t have been bigger. With Deadpool, not only did it go huge while being rated R, it went huge largely because it was rated R. The R rating proved to fans that it was serious, and while I don’t think what comic book superfans think matters nearly as much as studios think it does, Deadpool‘s R-rating helped differentiate it at a time when just being a superhero movie is no longer that big a deal. The kinds of movies that get greenlit from here on out will depend on whether people in charge see Deadpool‘s opening as anecdotal or as an example to learn from. At the very least, it should initiate a temporary moratorium on “Is Ryan Reynolds Really A Star” thinkpieces. And thank God, I’m so sick of people always picking on that poor, ridiculously handsome hunk of Canadian beef.
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The scenes with Baccarin and Reynolds were goddamn close to perfect. And the inside jokes about the Xmen Universe were hilarious. I hope this means that more movies like this get made now.
+1
Agreed. Also, my goodness, Baccarin looked amazeballs in the film.
Woooo bring on the marvel max titles!
SUPREME POWER: THE SERIES…. ON HBO.
‘Nuff said.
My god that would be amazing.
Zoolander 2 was not “also R-rated” kthanksbye
I don’t think it really matters.
Zoolander 2 is pg13 and how to be single is R.
Maybe it should be an example of making a movie about a comic book character that resembles the character from the comic. More of that. They wonder what the secret to Avenger$ was. Same idea.
I am just happy for Reynolds that he finally has a hit and a franchise. He seems like a good dude who deserves success. Also his wife has magnificent tits.
I really hope he negotiated a piece of the back end since he has been one of the ones keeping this project alive.
@Whatitiz73 – he’s one of the three producers on “Deadpool”…
So, yes sir – he’s getting P-A-I-D here.
I wonder how much was spent on advertising. I can’t think of the last movie I saw that had so many different ads across so many mediums.
They did a really good job with the marketing.
The trailers and marketing for Deadpool made it look pretty bad to me. Still, I like that this is making money as an R-rated action movie (even though it’s still a superhero movie). I always like to see more of those.
This is how I felt also. I kinda got dragged to it. And then it was good, and I left shocked.
@Grundlemunk @Verbal Kunt Admittedly, I had low expectations going into the film because of the trailer, but went to support an R-Rated action movie.
I was hoping the trailer looked bad because those were the only non-Rated R parts, and that was essentially the case. Good-very good film
Wait wait wait. A Jesus Christ biopic? Like, that’s a for real thing they’re doing?
I’m not sure why you’d think that’s remarkable since there are already a lot of those.
A Jesus Christ movie, sure, but a “biopic” means something different to me.
Movies like The Passion and The Last Temptation of Christ and many others pretty much fit the biopic mold.
At least based on the marketing, Risin isn’t supposed to be a Jesus Christ biopic. It’s like a Roman manhunt for Jesus after his body disappears from his grave. Actually looks sorta interesting
I thought Risen was a joke trailer the Coens put in before Hail Caesar!
I just like Vince’s summation of next weekend’s movies. I think we need a column, or an addition to a column, where Vince sums up every movie in 5 words or less.
I’m not sure why people are still shocked at the idea that a rated R movie full of violence, sex, and profanity would not be popular if it was at least decently well made. What’s the most popular to show in the world? The same masses that will subscribe to HBO for (or borrow a HBOGo login/pirate) Game of Thrones would come out in droves and see a movie like this.
I’m sure there are executives still arguing it would have made more money at PG13.
Huh. Imagine that. Giving the movie-viewing audience what they want is actually a good idea. Who woulda thunk it?
I hope this leads o an R-Rated Marvel universe with only the “hard” characters, ensuring R-rated films. Deadpool, Punisher, and Blade. Heck, if they can get over copyright issues, bring Dredd in to.
Either way, I am stoked about the response. I hope this leads to more real action movies made for men.
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Wait. All of those already have an R rated movie.
and ol’ Punny is gonna be in the TV-MA Daredevil show
Yes bring on the movies for manly real adult men… based upon little comic books for kids.
@irishda Dredd was even good.
Damn, I was surprised and excited that Zoolander 2 was R rated for a second.
Deadpool was a fun flick, but this is definitely a surprise. However, they marketed the bejeezus out of it. It was everywhere.
Zoolander 2 could be Rated R and it still wouldn’t have mattered.
It’s funny it’s rated R since, aside from the nude fight scene, it’s really more of what a 13 year old expects a rated R movie to be like. Wait, maybe that does include the nude fight scene
Eh, the violence was fairly graphic. You can’t show explicit impalings and decapitations in PG-13 movies I’m pretty sure. And the obvious “fuck” factor. Not to mention the nudity and sex scene.
Walked into Zoolander 2 on Friday and found a decent seat 10 minutes before it started. Deadpool, on the other hand, had lines going out the theater’s ass. So, needless to say…
Anyway, for what it’s worth (I’ll take anything), I thought Zoolander 2 was fookin’ terrible. It was like Stiller had forgotten how to play Zoolander in the last 13 years (can’t blame him, I suppose) which is weird if you think about it. Where Stiller easily inhabited the role in the first one, this one just felt like he was trying waaaay too hard to hit the right beats, never really finding them. It was like I was watching Tropic Thunder but instead of watching Robert Downey, Jr., play a dude playing the dude disguised as another dude, it was Stiller playing a dude disguised as a shitty version of Zoolander. If the movies were reversed, and the sequel was the first one, then there wouldn’t have been a sequel cause it was that horrifically, mind-numbingly bad. I just hated it. I hated it, I hated it, I hated it.
I feel that the discussions of impact are rather meaningless if non-inflation-adjusted numbers are used. This goes for all box office takes comparisons.
That’s a great point generally, but not here: “It became the first R-rated movie ever to open bigger than $100 million, and smashed the previous biggest R-rated opening (Matrix Reloaded, in 2003) even adjusted for inflation.”
You could tell that it was a writer-centric project. Like the people in charge of the script were actually enjoying their jobs for a change.
This
I think the biggest surprise to me is that The Maxtrix Reloaded was rated R. Say what now??
Yeah, I thought it was just rated “Shit”.
Because of that godawful rave/sex scene
Yes. Only because of that.
I thought the rave in the cave was one of the more important and interesting scenes and ideas in that very flawed film. The idea that societies, tribal in nature and at constant war, need and have held such events throughout history, for the dual purpose of raising morale and far more importantly increasing their numbers, holds true.
I had always heard if you show a karate kick to the head it’s an automatic R-rating. And that’s not a joke.
But there were no nipples!
I was more shocked when I found out the original Matrix was R. This was before the sequels so I had no comparison regarding ratings and franchise entries. I think I read somewhere that the lobby shootout was what granted the “R”.
I figured even the back-shot camera angle of trinity throwing the knife into the dude’s forehead and us only seeing the back of his head and then the knife there (no blood, no shot of said knife going into said head) was a PG-13 editing choice.
Yeah, no way that $58 mil includes the marketing budget. I reckon all up it was at least $100 incl marketing, which was still obviously not a bad investment.
How bout the off camera strip club action!? Them was some good TaTas in there.
This is for all those cynical asshats who thought “I cant wait to see your faces when this movie inevitably bombs.” where yall at now?
Writing their “It’s a movie like Deadpool!” scripts and trying to sell them-
Saving it for Suicide Squad.
Deadpool was perfect, because they respected the character, the audience, and an entirely overlooked genre – the 80’s hard-R action comedy. But even more amazing – it wasn’t being shown in Showcase Cinemas “Lux Level” theaters which are adults only, booze/dinner/$25 tickets. Apparently Fox signed some deal with a rival chain with “adults only” alcohol seating that excluded Showcase ( 1,300 theaters) from showing the biggest R rated movie of all time.
All in all though, this really wasn’t shocking. An insanely popular character, in a very well made movie, that respects the source material more than any comic movie ever made, perfectly cast, perfectly written, and well marketed.
Definitely not looking forward to the 20 or so “JUST LIKE DEADPOOL” R-rated comic book movies studios are going to frantically throw at the wall and see if they stick.
Wonder if WB will now re-edit Suicide Squad to be R?