What a difference a year, and a Deadpool, makes! 2023 marked a 15-year lowpoint for the MCU, with both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels spelling both critical and financial nadirs for the once-invincible cinematic universe. With just the one movie releasing in 2024, it was all on Deadpool & Wolverine to fix the franchise single-handed.
Thankfully, it looks like the threequel might just do it. With Deadpool 3 coming later in July, box office projections are in, and the numbers are looking good. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman vehicle is headed for a domestic opening weekend of $160-165 million. If this figure comes to pass then that would make it the biggest opening of this (unusually lacking, given the 2023 strikes) whole year. So, yes, Wade Wilson may be about to save cinema. Shove it, Tom Cruise!
Deadpool 3 heading for biggest Marvel opening since 2022
As for how these numbers compare with other recent MCU releases, an opening weekend somewhere in the range of $160 million would easily make it the superior to all of Marvel’s 2023 offerings. Not that it’s much of a battle. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the highest-grossing of last year, and that only opened to $118 million. Meanwhile, Quantumania came away with $106 million in its first weekend while The Marvels managed a meager $46 million.
The Marvels infamously ended up being the lowest-grossing MCU movie ever by a wide margin, finishing its theatrical run with just over $200 million. That means Deadpool 3 has a real chance of coming away with over 75% of The Marvels‘ entire box office gross in just its first three days in cinemas. How’s that for a comeback?
Full disclosure, this $160 million still isn’t quite up to the levels of Marvel in 2022 — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever both had openings over $180 million — but it’s an inarguable leap in the right direction again. LFG, kids. L.F.G.