After dominating the box office for three consecutive weeks, Avengers: Infinity War will likely get dethroned by another highly anticipated comic book sequel: Deadpool 2.
According to Variety, the Ryan Reynolds flick is poised to debut at No. 1 this weekend, with North American ticket sales expected to reach between $130 million and $150 million. If it surpasses the lower end of the forecasted range, Deadpool will breaks its own record for the biggest domestic opener for an R-rated film. The franchise’s first installment racked in more than $132 million during its 2016 opening weekend; Deadpool went on to earn $783 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history.
Reynolds spoke about Deadpool’s unexpected success during the sequel's premiere in New York City this week.
“Nobody saw that coming—none of us did,” the actor told the Associated Press. “Our, sort of, highest goal was that the movie makes its money back, and that maybe some idiot at Fox says, ‘Hey, why don’t you guys make a sequel some day.’ But we didn’t expect it do what it did. That was crazy. So, to be standing here right now is kind of a ‘pinch-me’ moment.’”
Deadpool 2 co-stars Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, and Julian Dennison. The David Leitch-directed film hits U.S. theaters this Friday.
Infinity War is expected to earn an estimated $30 million in its fourth week and land at No. 2. The movie, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, has become the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, earning a total of $1.638 billion worldwide.
