Right now Avengers: Infinity War is the talk of the proverbial town in the superhero movie realm, but in just a few weeks, we'll be treated to another popular Marvel property returning to the big screen, albeit not one suited for younger moviegoers. A little over two years after Wade Wilson was properly adapted in Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth will be back for another round of action in Deadpool 2, and last month, it was reported that the sequel could make somewhere in the $100 million ballpark on opening weekend. However, if new projections are correct, Deadpool 2 could end up pulling in even more money, specifically to the tune of $150 million.
According to new industry estimates passed along to Deadline (as opposed to 20th Century Fox's predictions), Deadpool 2 could make around $50 million more than was previously estimated. For comparison, Deadpool opened to around $132 million, so if its successor can surpass that amount over the first three days, it would become Fox's biggest domestic opener ever. Deadpool 2 has already become Fandango's best pre-selling R-rated movie (knocking Fifty Shades of Grey from the #1 spot), as well as broke Regal Cinemas' one-day pre-sale record.
After years of languishing in development hell, Deadpool finally arrived in theaters in February 2016, and not only was it well received critically, it also surpassed commercial expectations, ending its run with over $783 million worldwide. Given the first movie's popularity, as well as Deadpool 2 reportedly scoring well in test screenings, one would imagine that the sequel will continue to do well at the box office past opening weekend and accumulate its own impressive collection of cash.
That being said, it's important to remember that not only is Deadpool 2 coming out in May, a more traditional month for action-packed movies, it's also following several weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, one of the biggest blockbuster releases ever, superhero or otherwise. Deadpool may be a fellow Marvel character, but it's possible that Infinity War's performance may impact Deadpool 2's overall haul. That's not to say the sequel couldn't still make a lot of money, but repeat Infinity War viewers might prevent it from performing quite as well as it could have had it opened in February or a different, non-blockbuster-filled month.
Filled with as much raunchy humor and fourth wall-breaking antics as its predecessor, Deadpool 2 will follow Wade Wilson attempting to protect a young mutant from being killed by the time-traveling Cable. Aiding Wade in keeping the kid safe will be the newly-formed and totally not derivative X-Force, whose members include Domino, Bedlam, Shatterstar and Peter. Yes, guys, that Peter!
Directed by David Leitch, Deadpool 2 hits theaters on May 18, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend as more updates about the sequel trickle in. Don't forget to look through our X-Men movies guide to learn what other cinematic mutant projects are in development, and if you're interested in learning what non-Marvel related movies are arriving later this year, head to our 2018 release schedule.
