Over its second weekend, Marvel Studios blockbuster “Deadpool & Wolverine” has surpassed “The Passion of the Christ” in earned revenue. We’ll crunch those inflation numbers later. Hollywood heavyweights Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have pulled in audiences with many people going to see the film a second and third time. According to studio estimates, the film managed to earn $97 million. This weekend’s haul was by no means a small contribution and it pushed the film’s two-week total to a staggering $395.6 million.
This has led to a significant reshuffling in the ranking of the highest-grossing R-rated films. For two decades, the top spot in this category had been comfortably occupied by “The Passion of the Christ.” The Mel Gibson-directed biblical epic told the harrowing story of Christ’s crucifixion. The film was so well-received, it amassed a whopping $370 million domestically.
If we adjust for inflation, “The Passion of the Christ”‘s $370 million is worth about $68 million rounded up in today’s money. In the first two weeks it grossed $137 million domestically. Now adjusting that, “Passion of the Christ” made $364 million in the first two weeks. If “Deadpool & Wolverine continues with the current trend, it could end up with the other top comic book movies like 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which made a total of $858 million or 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” which made $815 million domestically. (But both of those were rated PG-13.)
I think the world was just ready for something dark and fun to enter the theaters. Fans of Deadpool know he’s the Merc with a mouth, and those who follow X-Men already love Jackman as Wolverine. The combination of the two was just the right combination to bring comic fans together again to watch something filled with wit and nostalgia. We’ll keep you updated on how “Deadpool & Wolverine” fairs overall.
It’s playing in theaters world-wide right now.
