'Deadpool' Dominates Holiday Weekend Box Office With $150 Million Debut

“Deadpool” grossed $150 million over the four-day holiday weekend, marking the best opening ever for distributor Twentieth Century Fox.

The stunning number for the Ryan Reynolds superhero movie was also a Presidents Day weekend best, passing the $93 million mark that “Fifty Shades of Grey” set last year. “Deadpool” is also the biggest R-rated opener of all time, a distinction that “The Matrix Reloaded,” which debuted with $91.7 million, held for 13 years. “Deadpool” also marks the biggest opening ever in the month of February.

Over the three-day weekend, the action film grossed $132.7 million, based on a $58 million budget that is modest compared to those of most other superhero films.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Shocked Hollywood and Made Box-Office History

“Deadpool” more than doubled the studio’s pre-release projections, which were originally in the $65-$70 million range, but the Thursday previews already propelled that number up when “Deadpool” launched with a record $12.7 million.

With a CinemaScore of A and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84 percent “fresh,” the film stars Reynolds as Marvel Comics mercenary Wade Wilson, who develops super healing powers and a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder following an operation to cure his cancer.

Also Read: Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Set to Smash Box Office Records With $47 Million Friday

The film also stars Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein and T.J. Miller, and is directed by Tim Miller.

Fox’s “Kung Fu Panda 3” came in at No. 2 in its third weekend at the box office, grossing $19.7 million for the three-day weekend and an estimated $26 million for the four days. It beat newcomers “Zoolander 2” and “How to Be Single.”

“How to Be Single,” starring Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Dakota Johnson and Alison Brie, came in third with $17.9 million over the three days, and it is looking to gross an estimated $20.6 million over the four-day weekend, in line with projections from New Line and MGM. The film’s budget was $38 million.

“Zoolander 2,” starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell, took fourth place, grossing $13.9 million over the three-day weekend. It is looking at a four-day take of $16 million. The film, a sequel to 2001’s cult hit, cost $50 million. The first “Zoolander” movie opened to $15.5 million over a three-day weekend.

Beyond Deadpool: 10 More Superheroes Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)

Batman

Batman is essentially a psychopath hunting for psychopaths in a city that seems to be run by psychopaths. This is prime territory for an R-rating.
DC Comics
Daredevil

Marvel and Netflix have rescued Daredevil's legacy from the Affleck era and seem to be moving in this direction already. All that's left would be to transfer Charlie Cox's blind vigilante to the big screen.
Marvel
Wolverine

With Fox recasting many of the X-Men for younger stars, Wolverine may be due for a facelift soon. Hopefully, that means an edgier film that truly shows what Logan is: an animal living amongst us.
Marvel
Cassandra Cain

"Jessica Jones" has shown that a female superhero can not only kick ass, but can be tortured and dark. Cain's backstory is frightening -- she's the daughter of two assassins who abused her as a child in order to mold her into the world's deadliest assassin. She served for a time as Batgirl before traveling to Asia to find and kill her parents. Not a PG kind of story.
DC Comics
Punisher

Yes, the Punisher has already gotten a R-rated film, but it never felt like it's been done right. Again, it looks like Netflix is moving in the right direction. Maybe Jon Bernthal will headline his own film someday.
Marvel
Spawn

Though a cult-classic film came out in 1997, its overall campiness and cheap special effects prevented Spawn from catching on. We'd love a new, grown-up take on the story of an ex-assassin who was murdered before selling his soul to the devil to come back.
Image Comics
Starfire

Starfire's relationship misadventures could lead a comedy in the vein of "Bridesmaids" for a fresh take on the superhero genre.
DC Comics
The Boys

When superheroes get reckless and endanger the world, the government sends in...The Boys. They're a group of super-enforcers who keep heroes in line. There was talk in the past about an Adam McKay adaptation, but that was before he turned his attention to real global disasters with "The Big Short."
Dynamite Entertainment
Lobo

A villain who morphed into an anti-hero, the ultra-violent Lobo was intended to be an indictment of Marvel's Punisher and Wolverine. However, his popularity shot through the roof, and he even became Stan Lee's favorite DC character. A planned film adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson has been indefinitely delayed.
DC Comics
X-Force

Essentially a more militant and aggressive form of the X-Men team, X-Force could lead the new Fox films in a grittier direction. With the introduction of Psylocke and the recasting of key X-Men, many pieces of an original X-Force team should be in place after "X-Men: Apocalypse."
Marvel