‘Deadpool 2’ Beats Up ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ At The Box Office With $125 Million In Tickets Sold
He’s back, and he’s sassier than ever. The acerbic and cutting wit of the merc with a mouth as portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in 2016’s Deadpool was a high-water mark for the hopes of R-rated Marvel Comics Universe properties – proof that it could be done beyond the confines of the previously PG canon. While the sequel didn’t beat the 2016 offering in its initial weekend in theatres, 20th Century Fox distribution chief Chris Aronson predicts the film will have a strong second weekend showing.
“I think with a holiday on our second weekend we’ll catch ‘Deadpool’ if not exceed it.”
Yahoo! Finance reports that Deadpool 2 has cleared $125 million in box office revenues over its opening weekend, beating the also impressive Avengers: Infinity War by a fair margin. Infinity War mustered a respectable $29 million, making a total – since the ensemble movie starring the mad titan Thanos debuted – a dazzling $595 million domestically and $1.2 billion internationally. Deadpool 2 took in $176 million internationally in addition to the film’s domestic ticket sales due to an increased global audience.
Created in the 1990s by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld, Deadpool was originally conceived in much the same way as he is portrayed now – sarcastic, and perhaps most importantly, satirically aware of the audience. These playful asides, this shattering of the suspension of disbelief once in a while to speak frankly with the crowd, is part of the simple charm of the character whether he’s made of ink or embodied in the flesh by Ryan Reynolds.
Deadpool 2 promises a star-studded cast beyond Reynolds himself. Josh Brolin, fresh from his filming of Avengers: Infinity War, may be the hottest name in Hollywood right now as he back-to-back destroys the box office as both Thanos and Deadpool 2 antagonist Cable, the soldier from the future. The surly and surprisingly powerful Brianna Hildebrand returns as punk-rock mutant Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and newcomers Morena Baccarin (Firefly) as Copycat and Zazie Beetz (Easy) as Domino round out the all-star array.
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Whether he’s breaking the fourth wall or breaking his opponents down with his fists, Deadpool has long been a fan-favorite and with the continued success of his film franchise is sure to be on the radar for years to come. Deadpool merchandise overflows retailers shelves, from bobble-heads and Nerf Guns to hats, scarves, and t-shirts. The sarcastic ninja has literally been reproduced in over fifty different styles of Funko Pop! Vinyl, one of the world’s most popular collectibles for children and adults alike; the sword-slinging rogue shows no sign of losing any head of steam anytime soon.
