Anyone who has been following news about the upcoming Deadpool movie knows the marketing team has been killing it with their viral efforts. We at Screen Rant named it one of this year’s 25 most anticipated movies, judging by people’s reactions. From their 12 days of Christmas “gifts,” witty posters, and R-rated trailers – the buzz around this film is huge.
On top of that, early reactions to a surprise fan showing are extremely positive. If that’s not enough to win over even the most diehard fans who want to see their favorite character done right, Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld thinks this movie is the best version of the character ever. As the release gets nearer, the hype just keeps growing and it looks as though it will eventually pay off – financially, at any rate.
According to THR, analysts are predicting upwards of a $55 million debut next month.
Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds, opens Feb. 12th over the lucrative President’s Day/Valentine’s Day weekend. The film lands in theaters alongside comedy sequel Zoolander 2 and romantic comedy How to be Single. Zoolander 2 is directed by and starring Ben Stiller opposite Owen Wilson and is currently on track for a $20 million-plus opening. The Dakota Johnson, Alison Brie, and Rebel Wilson vehicle How to be Single is tracking to come in as last of the new releases. According to the numbers, the R-rated Fox/Marvel superhero film will likely be most audiences’ Valentine’s Day movie of choice.
“Those with access to prerelease services say the scores are strong for Deadpool among both males and females. One service even has the film crossing $60 million, and that’s before Fox makes its major marketing push.”
Should Deadpool deliver on expectations, then fans will possibly be re-watching it over the long weekend. If the current $55 million plus prediction is accurate, then that also spells good news for a sequel. The reportedly low-budget Deadpool will likely make back the studio’s investment quickly no matter what.
Could the opening possibly be bigger than expected? Last year, Fifty Shades of Grey opened over Valentine’s Day weekend to a surprising $93 million. A large part of that was due to the (unfulfilled) promise of great sex onscreen, but also the built-in fanbase who read the books. How many fans does Deadpool have and how many newbies will flock to see the most recent film in the still exceedingly popular superhero genre? It could possibly surprise everyone.
However, unlike Fifty Shades, which somehow falls into the category of romance, the R-rated hyper-violence of Deadpool could hurt it. But there’s also the fact that the rating will prevent parents from bringing their kids to this film (in a genre which kids typically like) over the weekend, and that could curb numbers too.
Deadpool opens in theaters on February 12, 2016, followed by X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27, 2016; Gambit sometime in 2017; Wolverine 3 on March 3, 2017; and an untitled X-Men film on July 13, 2018. The New Mutants is also currently in development.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
