After pulling downthe biggest preview numbers ever for a February release, not to mention an R-rated feature, Fox’sDeadpoolis headed for many more box office records this weekend. According to studio estimates, the Marvel adaptation earned an estimated $47.5 million from 3,558 locations yesterday, including that $12.7 million from its Thursday p.m. screenings.
Deadpool’s current Friday estimate is, by far, the biggest single-day opening ever in the month of February. The previous record was $30.2 million, set on this same Valentine’s/President’s Day frame one year ago by Universal’sFifty Shades of Grey. In 2015,Fifty Shadeswent on to set a new weekend record for February ($85.1 million) and the four-day President’s Day holiday ($93 million). But now thanks to Friday’s outsized performance, those records will belong toDeadpool.
Originally projected to open between $65 and $75 million,Deadpoolis headed for at least $105 million through Sunday and as much as $120 with Monday’s holiday included. Just to give you an idea of how huge a $105 million weekend would be, it would not only top all previous releases in Fox’sX-Menfranchise but also all the opening weekends of all but three films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:The Avengers,Age of Ultron, andIron Man 3. ConsideringDeadpool’s hard R-rating, itslongdevelopment history, and the utter failure of Fox’sFantastic Fourreboot last August, the studio has got to be overjoyed with this morning’s estimate.
In terms of all-time R-rated openings, the single-day record has been held byThe Matrix Reloadedsince 2003. The film earned $37.5 million on its first day in theatres (a Thursday) but totaled $42.5 million with Wednesday previews included. For its first three-day weekend,Reloadedearned $91.7 million and remained the all-time R-rated champ for more than a decade despite challenges fromThe Hangover Part IIandAmerican Sniper.But that ends this weekend thanks toDeadpool.
Looking at the two comedies that opened alongsideDeadpool, neither are expected to top their modest pre-release projections. The R-rated ensembleHow to Be Singleearned an estimated $5.25 million from 3,394 locations on Friday, and is now expected to fall just under $20 million for the three-day weekend.
As forZoolander 2, the news is not promising. The long-awaited sequel to the 2001Ben Stillercomedy earned just $4.2 million from 3,343 locations on Friday. That indicates a three-day weekend of less than $15 million, instead of the $20 million debut that the industry expected. Keep in mind that the originalZoolander(which was considered a box office miss in its day) debuted with $15.5 million – and that’s without adjusting for inflation.
We’ll have full details on what promises to be a very interesting weekend at the box office tomorrow. Until then, here’s Friday’s top five, based on studio estimates:
$47,500,000
How to be Single
$5,250,000
Zoolander 2
$4,200,000
Kung Fu Panda 3
$3,875,000
Hail, Caesar!
$1,470,000
