“Welcome to the MCU. You’re joining at a little bit of a low point.” So says Deadpool to Wolverine in their new movie, simply titled “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which ushers the stable of Marvel characters formerly owned by 20th Century Fox into their new home at Marvel Studios. Indeed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been faltering since the bombastic triumph of “Avengers: Endgame” — both critically and commercially.
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” however, has been squarely spared from the effects of superhero fatigue. On the Saturday of its third weekend at the box office, the movie crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It’s a milestone that has only ever been hit by one other R-rated movie: 2019’s “Joker,” which topped out at $1.078 billion worldwide. “Joker” probably won’t hold on to the title of highest-grossing R-rated movie much longer, given that “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed an estimated $54 million at the domestic box office alone this weekend. According to the Hollywood Reporter, its total currently stands at $494.3 million domestic and $535.2 million overseas, for a total of $1.029 billion.
Romantic drama “It Ends With Us” briefly knocked “Deadpool & Wolverine” from the top spot at the box office on Friday. However, the superhero flick will hold on to No. 1 this weekend, since “It Ends With Us” is on track to gross $50 million and land in second place for all three days. The real-life couple of “Deadpool & Wolverine” star Ryan Reynolds and “It Ends With Us” star Blake Lively are truly the king and queen of the box office this weekend.