Summary
Deadpool & Wolverineis closing in on an 11-year-old Marvel Cinematic Universe movie as it continues to climb up the chart of the all-time highest-grossing releases. The release, which co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is simultaneously the 34th installment in the MCU and the third installment in theDeadpoolfranchise, which is itself a subfranchise of Fox’s now-defunctX-Menfranchise. TheDeadpool & Wolverinebox officehas broken numerous records as it quickly rose past $1 billion, including becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
PerVariety, theDeadpool & Wolverinebox office has climbed past the $1.159 billion worldwide total of the animated smash hitMinions. This makes itthe 27th highest-grossing movie of all time. The next movie in its sights is the 26th highest-grossing movie of all time, which is the MCU’s ownIron Man 3, an early installment which premiered in 2013 and ended up grossing a whopping total of $1.215 billion, meaning thatDeadpoolwill have to earn roughly $56 million more worldwide in order to surpass it.
What Other MCU Movies Are Above Iron Man 3?
Deadpool & Wolverine Is Currently The Eighth Highest-Grossing MCU Movie
WhileDeadpool & Wolverine’s record-breaking climb could very well see it rise higher thanIron Man 3, it remains to be seen if it can topple any other previous installments. The next-highest entry would be 2018’sBlack Panther, which is currently the 17th highest-grossing movie of all time andwould require an additional $160 million to surpass. That would be a tall order for a movie that is already in its fifth weekend in theaters, and there are even more titles beyond it. Below, see a breakdown of all theMarvel Cinematic Universe moviesaboveDeadpoolon the all-time chart:
#2
$2.799 billion
#6
$2.052 billion
#7
$1.928 billion
#11
$1.520 billion
#16
$1.405 billion
#17
$1.375 billion
#26
$1.215 billion
#27
Deadpool & Wolverine(2024)
~$1.160 billion
Ultimately, if theDeadpool & Wolverinereleaseis able to surpassBlack Panther, itcould potentially break into the Top 5 MCU movies of all time, asAvengers: Age of Ultronis the next movie past it on the overall chart. However, breaking into the MCU’s Top 3 would be a near impossibility. The record-breakingSpider-Man: No Way Home,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgameall boast the type of potent legacy characters as the 2024 title, but combined with PG-13 ratings that made all of those titles available to a broader ticket-buying audience.
While theAvengersmovie featured characters coming together from every MCU subfranchise,No Way Homeunited characters from different live-actionSpider-Manuniverses.
How Deadpool & Wolverine Compares To The MCU Overall
The 2024 Installment’s Performance Is Impressive
Even ifDeadpool & Wolverinenever rises past being the eighth highest-grossing MCU movie, this is already a remarkable achievement, considering the fact that it is the franchise’s first R-rated installment. The PG-13 franchise took a risk on maintaining the more adult-oriented tone and fourth-wall-breaking humor of the property after acquiring the 20th Century Studios library and deciding to fold it into the MCU at large, andit has clearly paid massive dividends.
It is one of just eleven MCU movies to have ever grossed more than $1 billion…
Even though there are several previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that have outperformed it, the fact remains thatthere are 26 other movies in the franchise that it has handily outgrossedin just a matter of weeks. In fact, it is one of just eleven MCU movies to have ever grossed more than $1 billion, with the remaining three titles being 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War($1.155 billion), 2019’sSpider-Man: Far from Home($1.138 billion), and 2019’sCaptain Marvel($1.131 billion). There are a wide range of titles beneath that mark. Below, see the lowest-grossing titles in the franchise:
$402 million
$379.7 million
$370.6 million
$264.8 million
The Marvels(2023)
$206.1 million
As the chart showcases, not only hasDeadpool & Wolverinegrossed more than quintuple the worldwide haul of the franchise’s lowest-grossing movie, which was the 2023Captain MarvelsequelThe Marvels, itgrossed more than the franchise’s three lowest-grossing movies combined. Additionally, it has grossed more than double the worldwide box office totals of all nine of the franchise’s lowest-grossing movies, which also includes 2021’sShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings($432.2 million), 2011’sThor($449.3 million), 2023’sAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania($476 million), and 2015’sAnt-Man($519.3 million).
The Marvels, which was also a crossover with the Disney+ MCU showMs. Marvelreportedly lost Marvel Studios hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
TheDeadpool & Wolverineendingalso leaves the door open for possible future installments. WhileDeadpool 4has not yet been officially greenlit, itseems like a near certainty that the “merc with a mouth” will return to the MCUafter this record-breaking box office performance. Should the movies continue this streak of box office success and bring in even more connections to the broader MCU franchise, it is possible that the next movie could perform even better and climb even higher up the chart.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
