With $97 million second weekend, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ sets new record for R-rated films
NEW YORK — After 10 days at the cinema, “Dead Pool & Wolverine” is already the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, without adjusting for inflation.
In its second weekend, the Marvel Studios blockbuster starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman continued to wreak havoc in theaters, raking in $97 million according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings its two-week total to $395.6 million, surpassing the long-time R-rated film “The Passion of the Christ,” which held that record for 20 years with $370 million domestically.
Worldwide, the “Deadpool” directed by Shawn Levy & Wolverine” quickly amassed $824.1 million in box office revenue, a total that already surpasses the global grosses of the first two “Deadpool” films. The original 2016 film grossed $782.6 million worldwide; the 2018 sequel took in $734.5 million.
Both candidates in the weekend primaries struggled.
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, “Trap,” The film opened modestly with $15.6 million from 3,181 theaters for Warner Bros. The film, starring Josh Hartnett as a serial killer hunted by police at a pop concert, was not screened to critics until opening day and earned a lower score (48% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes) than Shyamalan’s films in general. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.
With a budget of around $35 million, “Trap” didn’t need a massive launch, but it might struggle to break even.
“This is a soft start for a M. Night Shyamalan crime thriller,” wrote David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment. “The writer/director’s films are a cut above other original thrillers, and that’s true here, but this start isn’t on the level of Shyamalan’s recent films.”
Live action “Harold and the Purple Pencil” The film, adapted from the classic children’s book, was also not a huge success in theaters. The Sony Pictures release grossed $6 million. It was also poorly received by critics (28% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences (an A- CinemaScore) liked it better.
