‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Slashes Through the Box Office, Becoming the Top-Grossing R-Rated Film of All Time
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Hold onto your chimichangas, Marvel fans—Deadpool & Wolverine just clawed its way into the record books! The latest installment in the Deadpool franchise, directed by Shawn Levy and featuring the unbeatable duo of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has officially become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time at the global box office. And no, we’re not adjusting for inflation. This is pure, unadulterated cash.
Deadpool & Wolverine vs. Joker: A Billion-Dollar Showdown
On Thursday, the film surpassed the previous record-holder, Todd Phillips’ Joker, by reaching a staggering global total of $1.086 billion. Yes, you read that right—Deadpool and Wolverine are now billion-dollar besties. Reynolds himself couldn’t resist sharing the news on social media, and who can blame him? This is a monumental win not just for Reynolds and Jackman, but for Marvel Studios, Disney, and the entire superhero genre.
Let’s break down the numbers: Deadpool & Wolverine has raked in $516.8 million domestically and $568.8 million internationally. Compare that to Joker’s $1.079 billion in 2019, and it’s clear that this third outing in the Deadpool series has set a new benchmark for R-rated films.
Deadpool & Wolverine Joins the Billion-Dollar Club
What’s even more impressive? This is only the second R-rated film in history to cross the $1 billion mark, joining Joker in an exclusive club that others can only dream of. Trailing behind in third place is Christopher Nolan’s 2023 epic Oppenheimer with $974.5 million, followed by Reynolds’ previous Deadpool films, The Matrix Reloaded, and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
Speaking of The Passion of the Christ, until Deadpool & Wolverine slashed onto the scene, Mel Gibson’s 20-year-old film held the title for the top-grossing R-rated movie domestically, with over $378 million in ticket sales. Not anymore. Deadpool & Wolverine has not only dethroned Gibson but has also become the first superhero movie to cross the $1 billion mark since Spider-Man: No Way Home swung onto screens two and a half years ago. It’s also the first Marvel/Disney MCU film to hit that milestone since Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
This latest achievement makes Deadpool & Wolverine the 55th film ever to join the billion-dollar club, the 31st Disney title (including three films from the Disney-Fox merger), and the 11th MCU movie to reach this milestone. Only 19 days after its release, it tied with The Avengers as the fourth-fastest MCU film to hit $1 billion. The only movies to do it faster? Avengers: Endgame (five days), Avengers: Infinity War (11 days), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (12 days).
And it doesn’t stop there. Deadpool & Wolverine is the second film of 2024 to join the billion-dollar club, following Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2, which now holds the record for the top-grossing animated film of all time with nearly $1.6 billion in global sales. Disney remains the only studio to deliver back-to-back $1 billion films in a single year—no small feat.
Since debuting over the July 26-28 weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine has obliterated one record after another. In just two weekends, it surpassed the entire lifetime earnings of the first two Deadpool films, both domestically and globally. To put that into perspective, Deadpool pulled in $363.1 million domestically and $782.6 million worldwide, while Deadpool 2 earned $318.5 million domestically and $734.5 million globally.
What’s Next for Deadpool & Wolverine?
So, how high can this juggernaut climb? Industry insiders predict it could finish between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion, solidifying Reynolds’ theory that he and the filmmakers have succeeded in creating the first four-quadrant, R-rated film. If that’s not superhero-level success, we don’t know what is.
Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t just a movie; it’s a phenomenon. And with box office numbers like these, it’s clear that fans can’t get enough of this dynamic duo. Here’s to more record-smashing success—because with Deadpool and Wolverine in the mix, the sky’s the limit!
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