‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is already breaking box office records, with more possible soon

“ Deadpool & Wolverine ” has gotten off to a supercharged start at the box office, breaking the Thursday preview record for an R-rated movie. The comic-book film sold an estimated $38.5 million worth of movie tickets from preview screenings Thursday, Disney said Friday.

The previous R-rated record-holder was “Deadpool 2,” released by Fox’s 20th Century Studios in May of 2018. That made $18.6 million from Thursday previews and went on to make $125.5 million in its first weekend.

In fact, the previews played more like “Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker” ($40 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($39 million) than the previous two “Deadpool” movies.

The arrival of “Deadpool & Wolverine” has been long awaited by both audiences and theater owners. The box office as a whole continues to trail last year (down 17%), partially due to ripple effects of the actors strike affecting release schedule and a lack of major hits. Compared to the pre-pandemic 2019, 2024 is down over 34%.