The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seems to be on the right track with its first R-rated movie, as AMC has announced that its day-one ticket pre-sales for Deadpool & Wolverine have surpassed any other R-rated film ever.
AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron revealed the milestone achievement in a post on X/Twitter. He says that around 200,000 moviegoers have already claimed their seats for the Marvel movie ahead of its release next month. That puts it above other high-performing R-rated projects like Joker, Oppenheimer, Deadpool 2, and the original Deadpool.
Aron himself didn't reveal how much money that equals, but THR estimates that, based on that 200,000 number, that puts Deadpool & Wolverine at around $8 million-$9 million already.
Many big movies will open in May, June & July. Including Deadpool & Wolverine starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Opens July 25. Some 200,000 movie fans have bought their AMC tickets already. This is more Day 1 ticket sales at AMC than for any other R-rated movie ever.… pic.twitter.com/BSpNKndFwr
— Adam Aron (@CEOAdam) May 22, 2024
Additionally, Fandango recently announced that the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-led superhero team-up film managed to break its first-day ticket sales record for 2024 and also has the best pre-sale numbers for the Deadpool franchise (via ComicBook.com). Tickets for the next MCU movie went on sale just two days ago on Monday, May 20.
"Deadpool and Wolverine are proving to be the dynamic duo, smashing records before appearing on the big screen," EVP of Fandango Ticketing Jerramy Hainline said in a statement. "The success of the film's ticket pre-sales is a testament to the strong appeal and excitement these iconic characters bring to audiences across the nation."
Deadpool & Wolverine has a few elements attracting audiences to its July premiere. Reynolds’ third outing as the Merc with a Mouth arrives nearly six years after the second film introduced other X-Men favorites in 2018. Jackman’s take on Wolverine, however, has remained absent from the series despite in-universe teases for years. With the entry also set to introduce both title characters into the MCU, Deadpool and Wolverine is set to finally deliver on a lot of promises.
Deadpool and Wolverine comes to theaters on July 26. For more, you can read the tongue-in-cheek disclaimer Reynolds hid in a recent trailer. You can also read up on why the actor was surprised when Disney gave the team the freedom to make the movie as R-rated as they pleased.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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