Superhero movies had been written off for good until the Merc with a Mouth returned to cinemas last month with a bang. The third film in the Deadpool series, Deadpool & Wolverine, has now shattered box office records to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The Marvel Studios film accomplished this in spectacular fashion by surpassing Todd Phillips’ Joker to claim the top spot with $1.14 billion grossed worldwide.
Deadpool & Wolverine also made history by crossing the $1 billion mark, becoming only the second R-rated movie to achieve this feat, alongside Joker. The film earned an impressive $96 million on its opening day, securing the sixth-highest opening day ever. Its opening weekend was equally spectacular, ranking as the sixth-biggest domestic weekend box office opening in history.
Disney announced that within just 23 days, Deadpool & Wolverine had grossed $1.085 billion globally, which was just enough to edge out Joker for the crown of the most successful R-rated film. This triumph also makes it the 11th MCU film to join the $1 billion club.
Though critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarded the film a 78% critic score, Deadpool & Wolverine has been a massive hit among audiences, with a 95% approval rating. Fans have mostly praised its action, humor, and nostalgic elements, particularly Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine after he supposedly retired the character in 2017’s Logan. However, the real praise should go to Marvel’s marketing campaign and press tour, which really sold the film as a must-watch for all superhero fans.
There’s a rather flimsy case to make that the success of Deadpool & Wolverine could herald a new era for R-rated superhero films. Characters like Deadpool, Wolverine, and Daredevil have been well received by fans in the past, and this might embolden Marvel Studios to make future projects that explore grittier, more mature themes.
That being said, any expectation for superhero films to make a resurgence is a far-fetched idea that should be abandoned. Unless fans suddenly forget the drivel that Marvel has peddled the last few years, superhero films will remain dead, as they rightly should – at least for a few decades.
