2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine has joined an elite group of movies that have surpassed the billion dollar mark at the global box office.
The milestone puts it in some elite company, but there is one aspect of this achievement that makes it particularly unique.
Marvel Dominance
Marvel has been dominant in the global box office for over a decade now, and many of its IPs make up top grossing box office lists.
Deadpool and Wolverine has now entered their ranks, with a strong showing of $1.14 billion of revenue in the global box office.
Other Marvel Movies in the Club
Aside from Ryan Reynold’s and Hugh Jackman’s latest flick, 10 other Marvel movies have breached the billion dollar mark in terms of box office returns.
Some of these may be more guessable than others, with ensemble films such as The Avengers (grossing $1.5 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion) making up the list through to single-hero focussed titles including Iron Man 3 ($1.2 billion) and Black Panther ($1.33 billion).
Deadpool and Wolverine
Deadpool and Wolverine follows the two titular characters as they attempt to prevent the destruction of their universe by the powerful threat of the Time Variance Authority.
This sets up a frantic, universe-hopping plot that leads to a number of crowd-pleasing cameos from throughout the Marvel Comics cinematic universe.
Top 10
The success of the film not only enters it into the billion dollar club, but also places it in the current top 10 top-grossing Marvel movies.
It is currently Marvel’s 9th highest earning release, above Spider-Man: Far From Home and below Captain America: Civil War.
Not Wolverine and Deadpool’s First Team-Up
Although this is the first film featuring both Marvel heroes in its title, it is not the first time the two heroes have come together in a Marvel movie.
The 2009 film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, also starred the pair of anti-heroes. However, their previous outing was met with mixed reviews critically.
Different Paths
The two characters are now undoubtedly wildly popular, but they have both reached this state via distinct trajectories.
While Jackman’s Wolverine character has been a mainstay of X-Men films for decades, Deadpool was largely forgotten and maligned until Reynolds resurrected the character in 2016’s Deadpool.
Deadpool Persona
Deadpool occupies a niche in the Marvel universe as a foul-mouthed, fourth-wall breaking anti-hero, a persona familiar to those who have read the comics.
2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine means that the Deadpool character has now officially entered the Marvel cinematic universe, and also means that Disney-owned Marvel studios has released its first R-rated movie.
Billion Dollar Swears
The significance of Deadpool and Wolverine’s popularity extends beyond the billion dollar milestone, due to its gory and potty-mouthed nature.
Its R-rating means that it is now the first R-rated movie to surpass the milestone, an achievement made more impressive by the limiting of its potential audience.
Still Going Strong
The movie continues to perform in box offices around the world as it enters its second month in theaters.
However, it will now face R-rated competition in Alien: Romulus, which released in theaters across the US on 16 August.
