‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Smashes R-Rated Box Office Records with $97M

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"Deadpool & Wolverine" has become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, excluding inflation, in just 10 days since its release.

The Marvel Studios hit, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, continued its strong performance in theaters over the weekend, earning an estimated $97 million. This brings its total to $395.6 million in the U.S., surpassing the previous record holder, "The Passion of the Christ," which had held the top spot for two decades with $370 million.

Globally, the film directed by Shawn Levy has accumulated $824.1 million in ticket sales, quickly surpassing the worldwide earnings of the first two "Deadpool" movies. The 2016 original earned $782.6 million, while the 2018 sequel made $734.5 million.

In contrast, other new releases had a rougher time. M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, "Trap," opened to a modest $15.6 million across 3,181 theaters. The film, starring Josh Hartnett as a serial killer pursued at a pop concert, did not receive advance screenings for critics and earned a lower-than-usual 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience feedback was also lukewarm, with a C+ CinemaScore. Shyamalan's self-financed project, which cost about $35 million, faces challenges in reaching profitability.

The live-action adaptation of the beloved children’s book "Harold and the Purple Crayon," starring Zachary Levi, also struggled at the box office. It debuted with $6 million and was met with poor critical reviews (28% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), although audiences gave it a more favorable A- CinemaScore. The film had a production budget of around $40 million.

On the other hand, Universal Pictures’ disaster film "Twisters" held strong, coming in second with $22.7 million in its third weekend. The sequel to the 1996 classic, featuring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos, has earned $195.6 million domestically. While its international performance has been less impressive, "Twisters" continues to do well in North American theaters, with only a 35% drop from the previous week.

July concluded as Hollywood’s most successful month in a year, marking the first time since July 2023 that the box office exceeded $1 billion in a single month. Although this July’s performance is not as high as last year’s, which saw the release of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," the success of Disney’s "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine" contributed to a strong showing for the industry.

Nevertheless, reminders of earlier struggles in the spring and summer remain. AMC Theatres, the largest cinema chain in North America, reported a $32.8 million loss for the second quarter of 2024, highlighting ongoing challenges despite recent successes.

Here are the estimated box office earnings for the weekend:

1. "Deadpool & Wolverine" - $97 million
2. "Twisters" - $22.7 million
3. "Trap" - $15.6 million
4. "Despicable Me 2" - $11.3 million
5. "Inside Out 2" - $6.7 million
6. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" - $6 million
7. "Longlegs" - $4.1 million
8. "A Quiet Place: Day One" - $1.4 million
9. "Daaru Na Peenda Hove" - $615,782
10. "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" - $600,000