'Deadpool' Set for $65 Million Box Office in Weekend 2

“Deadpool” will take in around $65 million at the domestic box office this weekend, industry analysts said. That’s the same number they projected for the opening of Fox’s violent, profane and hilarious Ryan Reynolds superhero sendup last weekend.

The Tim Miller-directed action movie based on the Marvel Comics character more than doubled that figure, earning a stunning $135 million in three days and $150 million over the long Presidents Day weekend for Fox.

“We were flat wrong,” Exhibitor Relations senior analyst Jeff Bock told TheWrap. “But I don’t feel too bad about that, because even Fox didn’t realize what it had on its hands.” What the studio had turned out to be its biggest box-office opening ever, as well as the biggest ever for an R-rated movie, a February release and Presidents Day weekend.

Also Read: Will 'Deadpool' Spawn More R-Rated Superhero Movies?

“What’s notable is that it blew right past all the ‘X-Men’ openings,” said Bock, referencing the studio’s potent mutant franchise whose eight films have taken in $3.3 billion in global grosses. “There’s not much doubt about who’s driving the bus at Fox now.”

That would be “Deadpool,” a character who appeared in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” There’s been no official confirmation of a sequel, though it’s only a formality given the film’s success.

Even the end credits of “Deadpool” feature the foul-mouthed antihero not only saying there will be a sequel, but hinting at its plot and offering up Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren and Keira Knightley as possibles for the cast.

“I’m not going to argue with Deadpool,” Chris Aronson, Fox’s domestic distribution president, told TheWrap Tuesday.

Also Read: The 'Deadpool' Effect: 'Wolverine 3' Might Get R Rating

This original still has a long way to go, however. It took in nearly $20 million on Monday and may very well hold the top spot until March 4, when Disney rolls out the animated “Zootopia.” Fox is adding about 100 locations this weekend and will have “Deadpool” in a market-high 3,732 theaters.

This weekend’s new entries may not challenge “Deadpool,” but they stand a good chance of making some money for their backers, providing they can find their audience.

Sony Pictures

The historical religious drama “Risen” is told from the perspective of a fictional Roman centurion, a non-believer who is assigned to investigate rumors of a risen Jewish messiah causing upheaval among the locals.

It’s tracking to open between $11 million and $15 million for Sony, which is more conservative in its projection and pins its hopes on the film playing through Easter on March 27.

Also Read: Fox's 'The Passion' Finds Its Jesus, Casts 'Idol' Alum Chris Daughtry as Judas

It has a big-name cast and an impressive pedigree.

Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth and Cliff Curtis star in the film, which is directed by Kevin Reynolds, who wrote the screenplay with Paul Aiello and Karen Janszen.

Reynolds is a veteran who wrote the popular 1980s movie “Red Dawn” and directed “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” “Waterworld” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Steven Mirkovich, who won praise for his work on Mel Gibson‘s “The Passion of the Christ,” helped with the editing.

It’s a Sony Affirm Films and LD Entertainment production, funded by LD Entertainment. Sony absorbed international and is thus in for about half of the $20 million production.

Mickey Liddell, Patrick Aiello and Pete Shilaimon are producers on the movie, which was executive produced by Robert Huberman and Scott Holroyd.

The PG-13 drama will be in roughly 2,800 theaters.

Also Read: 'The Witch' Review: Puritans Battle the Devil in a Genuinely Creepy Horror Triumph

A24

A24 envisioned “The Witch” as a digital/VOD/multiplatform play when it acquired the micro-budgeted horror film for $1 million after the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic category.

But on Friday, “The Witch” will debut in 1,800 theaters and be the widest opening ever for the distributor, which has employed a gradual platform rollout with its previous films.

Also Read: 'The Witch' Review: Puritans Battle the Devil in a Genuinely Creepy Horror Triumph

“The Witch” will be the first A24 movie to open at $1 million or more, and will be well on the path to profitability if it can gross $3 million.

The early response to the R-rated chiller set in Puritan New England is what convinced A24 that the film had the potential to score significantly. Written and directed by Robert Eggers, it stars Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie.

The critics are sold. It’s at 85 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes.

Focus Features

“Race” is the true story of Jesse Owens and his bid to become the greatest track-and-field athlete in history. He’s thrust onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.

Canadian Stephan James stars as the young American sprinter, after replacing John Boyega, who left to take the role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, the film co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt and Carice van Houten.

Also Read: Focus Features Moves Up Jesse Owens Drama 'Race' to February 2016

“Race” is the first big-screen portrayal of the record-setting athlete supported by the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Jesse Owens Trust. Solo Film and Trinity Race produced the film. Focus Features acquired U.S. rights for $5 million, and will have it in 2,369 theaters.

It will be interesting to see how it plays in Germany, where it opens on May 1 via SquareOne Entertainment.

The Evolution of Ryan Reynolds, From 'Van Wilder' to 'Detective Pikachu' (Photos)

Ryan Reynolds has made a case for himself as America's favorite Canadian-born actor, marrying his smarmy, irreverent, "Deadpool" brand of humor to his on-screen and off-screen personae. In the process, he's become one of the most likable and bankable movie stars on the planet, to the point that no one batted an eye when the adorable, live-action Pikachu sounded exactly like how Ryan Reynolds always sounds. But before "Deadpool" and "Detective Pikachu," opening Friday, Reynolds endured an up and down career as a teen heartthrob, an action star, a rom-com darling and even a failed superhero before climbing back to stardom.
"Hillside" (1991)

Reynolds' career began with "Hillside," a Canadian-American teen soap from Nickelodeon that aired in the States as "Fifteen." Consider it an angsty alternative to "Degrassi."
YTV
"The X-Files" (1996)

In an episode during the third season of "The X-Files" titled "Syzygy," Reynolds can be seen playing a poor sap who gets hanged off the edge of a cliff by two murderous teen girls.
Fox
"Sabrina the Teenage Witch" (1996)

If you're looking for the birth of Reynolds' heartthrob image, look no further than the TV film pilot for "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Reynolds plays Sabrina's hunky crush Seth, who sports a winning smile and a quintessentially ridiculous '90s haircut.
Showtime
"Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" (1998)

Reynolds' first lead role came in the ABC sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place," in which he played Michael "Berg" Bergen, a sort-of dopey grad student who works at a pizza joint while figuring out what he wants to do with his life.
20th Century Fox
"National Lampoon's Van Wilder" (2002)

Reynolds' deftness as an aimless 20-something earned him his first movie lead in "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," in which he played the titular party-boy slacker who is challenged to finally graduate from college and get on with his life.
Lionsgate
2003

Reynolds attended the MTV Movie Awards with Alanis Morissette. The couple announced their engagement the following year, before splitting in 2007. Morissette said her album "Flavors of Entanglement" was inspired by the breakup.
Getty Images
"Blade: Trinity" (2004)

Reynolds shifted gears and made his first steps toward becoming a comic book/action film star in "Blade: Trinity." His performance as vampire hunter Hannibal King required dozens of hours of intense physical training.
New Line
"The Amityville Horror" (2005)

Reynolds bolstered his rep as a beefcake star with his often-shirtless appearance in the remake of "The Amityville Horror."
MGM
"Smokin' Aces" (2006)

"Smokin' Aces" was the first film in which Reynolds got a chance to perform alongside a top name in Hollywood. Here, he and Ray Liotta play a pair of FBI agents assigned to protect a Vegas gangster who has made an immunity deal with the feds and is now being hunted by multiple assassins.
Universal
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009)

Reynolds made his first go-around as Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." It's a slightly different take on the Deadpool character we've come to love, with Reynolds playing Wade Wilson as a quick-witted mercenary before transforming into the all-powerful, evil and mute Deadpool. Thankfully he got the chance to do a more playful reboot of the character.
20th Century Fox
"The Proposal" (2009)

That same year, it looked like Reynolds' career was heading in a different direction from superheroes when he starred in "Adventureland" and teamed with Sandra Bullock on the romantic comedy "The Proposal." The latter was one of Reynolds' biggest hits, earning $164 million domestically.
Touchstone Pictures
2010

Reynolds attended the Tony Awards with his then-wife, Scarlett Johansson, who won an award for her Broadway debut in "A View From the Bridge." The actor filed for divorce that December after just over two years of marriage.
Getty Images
"Buried" (2010)

Some of the biggest critical acclaim of Reynolds' career came when he starred in the claustrophobic thriller "Buried," spending the whole movie trapped underground as a hostage buried alive. The movie played at Sundance and won Reynolds a Goya Award nomination.
Lionsgate
2010

Quickly on the rise as a star, Reynolds was named People's Sexiest Man Alive, and he told the magazine he prefers to sleep in the nude "because if anyone breaks into your house, I can't think of anything more frightening than a naked 6'2" man coming at you."
"The Green Lantern" (2011)

In what was meant to cement Reynolds as an A-list star, Reynolds starred as Hal Jordan in DC Comics' tentpole film "The Green Lantern." But the superhero movie was critically panned and a box office disappointment, setting Reynolds back a few years. Needless to say, no "Green Lantern" sequel is imminent.
Warner Bros.
"Safe House" (2012)

Over the next three years, Reynolds starred alongside several Oscar winners, starting with Denzel Washington in "Safe House." Reynolds played a CIA agent assigned to guard an alleged turncoat played by Washington as the duo are hunted through the streets of Cape Town.
Universal
2012

Reynold married his "Green Lantern" co-star Blake Lively in an intimate ceremony at Boone Hall Planation in Mount Pleasant, S.C., on Sept. 9.

Getty Images
"R.I.P.D." (2013)

Reynolds' next dance with a top star wasn't as well received. In "R.I.P.D.," Reynolds starred alongside Jeff Bridges as one of a pair of deceased lawmen who operate from the afterlife to stop the undead from attacking the living. The film was slammed as a hybrid rip-off of "Ghostbusters" and "Men in Black."
Universal
"Woman in Gold" (2015)

Reynolds received a better reception when he starred alongside Helen Mirren in the prestige flick "Woman in Gold." Reynolds played a fledgling lawyer called upon by an elderly Jewish refugee played by Mirren to help recover a family painting long ago stolen by the Nazis.
BBC Films/The Weinstein Company
"Deadpool" (2016)

Reynolds finally found his signature role when he played the irreverent, smart-alecky "Merc with a Mouth" Deadpool. The R-rated superhero comedy held nothing back in its knowing winks to the audience, along with its bloody, profane style and action scenes. The film made $783.1 million worldwide.
20th Century Fox
"Deadpool 2" (2018)

By the time the second "Deadpool" came out, Reynolds had wholeheartedly embraced the character and leaned into every aspect of the film's marketing. He made hilarious and subversive videos with Celine Dion, riffed on Bob Ross and "The Princess Bride" and even took over Stephen Colbert's monologue. The second film was an equally impressive smash, earning $785 million worldwide.
Sony
"Feud" with Hugh Jackman (2018)

Reynolds and Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, carried on an extended fake feud as the best of "frenemies" throughout 2018, trading barbs and fake political smear ads on social media, all culminating in Jackman and Reynolds exchanging commercials for each other's brands.
Getty Images
"Pokemon: Detective Pikachu" (2019)

In a promotional short for "Detective Pikachu," Blake Lively ribbed Reynolds for not even attempting to change his voice to portray the iconic Pokemon. But Reynolds' charm along with the "Deadpool" style marketing proved to be the perfect fit for the family film.
Warner Bros.

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The actor has evolved from goofy comic foil to an irreverent action star

Ryan Reynolds has made a case for himself as America's favorite Canadian-born actor, marrying his smarmy, irreverent, "Deadpool" brand of humor to his on-screen and off-screen personae. In the process, he's become one of the most likable and bankable movie stars on the planet, to the point that no one batted an eye when the adorable, live-action Pikachu sounded exactly like how Ryan Reynolds always sounds. But before "Deadpool" and "Detective Pikachu," opening Friday, Reynolds endured an up and down career as a teen heartthrob, an action star, a rom-com darling and even a failed superhero before climbing back to stardom.

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The Evolution of Ryan Reynolds, From 'Van Wilder' to 'Detective Pikachu' (Photos)

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