“Deadpool” dominated the overseas box office this weekend, as the R-rated saga of the sardonic Marvel superhero matched its record-breaking domestic total with an eye-popping $150 million internationally.
“Deadpool” opened at No. 1 in 60 of the 61 markets in which Twentieth Century Fox rolled it out and, as it did in North America, shattered multiple records along the way.
So what country opted for something other than Marvel’s foul-mouthed bad-ass with a bad attitude played by Ryan Reynolds?
That would be Poland, no joke.
Moviegoers there opted for a held-over and romantic film, “Planeta Singli” (Single Planet). It’s directed by one of that country’s top talents, Mitja Okorn. The film stars Maciej Stuhr as a popular TV host and Agnieszka Więdłochę, whose character is described by the Polish web site Telemagzyn as a “hiding your sexiness music teacher.”
Fox international distribution chief Craig Dehmel wasn’t upset that the rom-com spoiled the otherwise perfect foreign rollout for “Deadpool,” other than noting that Poland was now “on our naughty list.” That’s the sort of magnanimity that making $300 million globally in one weekend brings.
The rest of the world went with “Deadpool,” in a big way. The U.K. led the parade with $20 million. That wasn’t a record, but the film seemed to break them nearly everywhere else. It posted the biggest opening ever in Russia with $12.4 million, topping “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
“Deadpool” also delivered the biggest Fox opening ever in 13 markets including Australia ($10.4 million). Taiwan ($8.2 million), Brazil ($5.9 million), Hong Kong ($3.8 million and Malaysia ($2.9 million).
The opening weekend from “Deadpool” was the biggest ever for an R-rated (or the equivalent) movie in 11 markets, including the Philippines ($2.8 million), Singapore ($1.7 million) and Central America ($1.3 million).
Approximately $9 million of the weekend’s international total came from 232 IMAX screens, with records set for the biggest February and R-ratted openings in numerous markets.
This weekend’s openings represent a little more than 80 percent of the international marketplace, with Italy, Spain, South Korea and the Middle East releasing next weekend, followed by Japan in early June.
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
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With Marvel’s ”Deadpool“ on its way to a big weekend, TheWrap suggests other heroes who deserve R-rated films
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.