LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Disney/Marvel superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine continued on a record-setting pace this weekend in North American theaters, clawing its way to an imposing USD97 million in ticket sales, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Sunday.
That brings its domestic total to USD395.6 million – for the eighth best second weekend ever, Variety reported – while international ticket sales were even more impressive, at USD428 million.
Buoyed by the popularity of Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), and his pal Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), the movie has already set a new record for the highest domestic gross for an R-rated feature, a distinction held since 2004 by Mel Gibson’s epic drama The Passion of the Christ (USD370 million, not inflation-adjusted).
Universal’s weather thriller Twisters held tight in second place, taking in USD22.7 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones play storm chasers caught in the middle of fast-converging tornadoes.
In third was Warner Bros’ new film Trap at USD15.6 million. Analyst David A Gross called that “a soft opening for an M Night Shyamalan suspense crime thriller”, adding that reviews and audience scores have been “lukewarm”.
Josh Hartnett stars as a serial killer avoiding police while at a concert with his daughter. Trap was largely self-financed by Shyamalan, whose 1999 blockbuster The Sixth Sense grossed USD673 million.
Slipping one spot to fourth place was Universal animation Despicable Me 4, at USD11.3 million. It has now taken in a total USD314 million domestically and USD386 million internationally.
And in fifth, also down one spot, was Disney’s coming-of-age animation Inside Out 2, at USD6.7 million. With a domestic gross of USD627 million and an overseas total of USD928 million, it is now well past the USD1.5 billion mark and stands as the top animated film of all time, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
Harold and the Purple Crayon (USD6 million)
Longlegs (USD4.1 million)
A Quiet Place: Day One (USD1.4 million)
The Firing Squad (USD925,000)
Daaru Na Peenda Hove (USD625,000)
