R-Rated ‘Deadpool’ Destroys Box Office and February Film Records

Deadpool destroyed box office expectations and exceeded all other February records in $135 million opening weekend.

According to Comic Book Movie,Deadpool has broken records in the U.S. for the biggest February opening, the biggest R-Rated opening, and has the seventh biggest superhero movie opening of all time. It destroyed box office numbers for Fifty Shades of Grey ($45 million) last year and has overtaken the record set by The Matrix Reloaded ($91.7 ) in 2003.

Among other records, #Deadpool is @20thcenturyfox's top domestic opening of all time, beating Star Wars Ep. III. https://t.co/pCLiIu1xFO

— Pamela McClintock (@PamelaDayM) February 14, 2016

Over Valentine’s Day weekend Deadpool, the Tim Miller-directed superhero feature starring Ryan Reynolds, destroyed box office expectations and grossed a whopping $135 Million. That is the kind of dollar figure that makes Hollywood executives pay attention and is said to be a turning point for superhero movies and their ratings in the industry.

The Marvel Comics of the same name are abundantly bloody and filled with profanity and sexual innuendos. The 20th Century Fox film has stayed true to this and it has really paid off. The film has sex, nudity, blood, and swearing.

R-rated Deadpool is an unconventional superhero movie along the same lines as Kick-Ass and Dredd with gory violence and witty one-liners. Historically, R-rated movies do not destroy box offices or provide large box office returns due to age restrictions, perception of the R-rating, and restrictions in some countries. This could be the reason so many superhero films have been down graded to a PG or PG-13 rating in the past and feature softer fight scenes, sex scenes, and general themes.

In the past five years, two of 24 superhero movies released have been rated R; the remainder have been light on graphic violence, contain little to no swearing, and are largely sexless films. Reynolds who produced and plays Deadpool in the film of the same name thinks the lack of R-rated superhero films is a shame.

I hope that they make other films that are rated R…I’d love to see an X-Men movie that’s rated R. I’d love to see something in the Avengers. I’d love to see all that. I think it’s fun.

Response to the film on social media was instantly positive, and the R-rated movie has quickly built a large following.

Now in my top 5 favorite movies #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/dGO02cBl73

— Sarah Carpenter ? (@SariCarpenter) February 15, 2016

Deadpool destroyed the box office opening weekend prediction of $55-65 million and has already exceeded the grossing of Reynolds’ other two comic book to film adaptations, Green Lantern and R.I.P.D, combined.

That isn't pavement he's walking on. It's sunshine. Thanks to the #deadpool fans who carried us the whole way. #??L pic.twitter.com/CQJhQL4tK8

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 14, 2016

The huge popularity of Deadpool was not due to a lack of other great films on at the cinema and is a standout in a sea of other great films. Over the three days of Valentine’s Day weekend Deadpool was going up against the much loved Kung Fu Panda 3, the highly anticipated The Revenant, and the hilarious How to Be Single and Zoolander 2.

The complete list of the top 12 movies and their grossing at the box office this weekend include:

1. Deadpool: $135 million
2. Kung Fu Panda 3: $19.6 million
3. How to Be Single: $18.7 million
4. Zoolander 2: $15.6 million
5. The Revenant: $6.9 million
6. Hail, Ceasar!.: $6.5 million
7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: $6.9 million
8. The Choice: $5.2 million
9. Ride Along 2: $4.1 million
10. The Boy: $2.9 million
11. The Finest Hours: $2.8 million
12. The 5th Wave: $2.7 million

The film is set to continue smashing records and is predicted to rake in another $80 million over the four-day President’s Day weekend in the U.S.

Deadpool has not only set records in the U.S but destroyed box office records internationally as well. Overseas, Deadpool grossed over $125 million, which brings the global total to over $260 million, four times its budget of $58 million. According to KSNV the movie has had the best single-day debut for an R-rated movie in the U.K., T.K., Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Deadpool is now showing at cinemas globally and features:

[Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images]