The Merc with a mouth demolished box office records this weekend, as Deadpool earned an estimated $135 million over three days to become the biggest R-rated opening of all time. Over the four-day President’s Day weekend, it’s expected to hit $150 million, speeding past Fox’s initial predictions of $65 million, and it’s already earned more than double its $58 million production budget.
Deadpool’s big debut means that it’s officially the first R-rated movie to open above $100 million, and it blows the previous record holder, The Matrix Reloaded, out of the water: The Keanu Reeves-starring sequel only opened to $91.8 million in 2003. (Even if you adjust for inflation, The Matrix Reloaded only comes in at about $132 million.)
The amount of $135 million is especially impressive considering that Deadpool’s a bit of an anomaly as an R-rated superhero movie.
