Los Angeles: Deadpool might not consider himself a superhero, but its latest installment is off to a powerful start.
The Marvel Comics film from 20th Century Fox debuted in North American with USD 125 million in 4,349 locations. That wasn’t enough to match the debut of its predecessor, 2016’s “Deadpool,” which had the biggest opening ever for an R-rated film with USD 132.4 million. The Ryan Reynolds-starrer bowed overseas with USD 176 million for a global weekend total of USD 301 million.
Although it debuted underestimates, “Deadpool 2’s” launch was nothing to complain about. It still secured the second-best opening for an R-rated film, as well as the third-biggest debut of the year behind Marvel blockbusters “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Black Panther.” It also secured Fox its second-highest opening weekend in history.
The sequel is still boasting a promising critical consensus, with an 84 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and an A CinemaScore.
“Deadpool 2’s” strong debut is a testament to Reynolds, according to Fox’s president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson.
“I just can’t say enough about him,” Aronson said. “Not just the character, but promoting it. I feel great about this opening.”
Its opening was enough to crush “Avengers: Infinity War’s” reign on the domestic box office. After securing the No. 1 spot for three weeks, the Disney and Marvel superhero tentpole dropped to second place. Its fourth weekend haul was still impressive, reeling in USD 29 million from 4,002 screens. “Infinity War’s” domestic tally currently sits at USD 595.4 million.
“Infinity War” was followed by Paramount Pictures’ new release, “Book Club.” The romantic comedy — starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen — came in slightly ahead of expectations, earning USD 12.3 million on 2,781 screens.
The weekend’s other newcomer, Global Road Entertainment’s “Show Dogs,” landed in sixth place, only digging up USD 6 million from 3,212 locations. The family-friendly comedy garnered an A CinemaScore. Its Rotten Tomatoes critical score didn’t fare quite as well, averaging a 26 percent.
Rounding out the top five are two film’s sophomore frames. Warner Bros.’ “Life of the Party” rallied in USD 7.5 million from 3,656 locations. Domestically, it has made USD 30.9 million. Universal’s “Breaking In” secured USD 6.5 million on 2,537 screens. In two weeks, it’s earned USD 28.8 million.
In the speciality market, Focus Features’ “Pope Francis - A Man of His Word” opened with USD 480,000 on 346 screens for a per-screen average of USD 1,389.
“RBG,” the documentary on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is still holding strong. In its third weekend, it expanded to 375 locations for a three-day total of USD 1.28 million. That’s a per screen average of USD 3,413. Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media co-produced the film with Storyville Films and CNN Films.
Thanks to a trio of superhero powerhouses, the domestic box office is up 6.3 percent from 2017, according to comScore. The weekend-to-date is up a staggering 62.9 percent, compared to 2017 when “Alien: Covenant” was the No. 1 film.
“A crowded powerhouse of a mid-May weekend benefitted from a very diverse lineup of newcomers to appeal to almost every taste and demographic,” Paul Dergarabedian, box office analysis at comScore, said.
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