UPDATE 2/13/2016 11:55AM:Variety is reporting that Deadpool's Friday box office total (which includes the record-setting Thursday night preview numbers) was $47.5 million. The film is expected to bring in $130 million over the four-day President's Day Weekend, which is more than double the $60-$65 million that Fox initially predicted.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Deadpool's haul would put it among the top 10 comic book opening weekends of all time (OF ALL TIME), and would be the biggest for an R-rated film ever.
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While it's always been a safe bet that Deadpool fans were going to come out in droves to see Deadpool (which is in theaters today, already got the Betty White stamp of approval, and is already getting "Certified Fresh" ratings on Rotten Tomatoes), the question has always been "how much money could the Merc pull in?" With Fox already planning a Deadpool sequel, it looks like the film is really set to do $100M during it's open weekend.
Forbes is reporting Deadpool already pulled in $12.7 million during its Thursday night previews. That's right, Deadpool had the biggest Thursday preview audience EVER for an R-rated film, beating out both Fifty Shades of Grey and The Hangover Part II. It's interesting to note that this is a long weekend (President's Day is on February 15), which could help in getting Deadpool fans into the theaters.
What makes Deadpool important is that it's the first R-rated superhero film in this era of superhero franchises; if it's truly the gamechanger that Rob Liefeld says it will be, then this could be the catalyst for ushering in more adult-themed superhero films—hopefully outside of the Marvel/DC wheelhouses—to the big screen.
If Deadpool really rakes in that much dough, we hope he has one of these ill Sprayground x Marvel backpacks to rake up all of his dough into.
