Summary
Deadpool & Wolverinehas a solid chance of being the firstMCUmovie in 3 years to meet or exceed a billion dollars at the box office. The only MCU movie releasing in 2024, anticipation and hopes are quite high for the upcoming film which promises to bring Deadpool face-to-face with a version of Wolverine for a major multiversal misadventure across the MCU. As such, some pretty compelling reasons point toDeadpool & Wolverinehaving a very successful box office run.
Releasing July 26th,Deadpool & Wolverineis set to reunite Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, depicting both Marvel heroes as they always should have been on the big screen (making up for 2009’sX-Men Origins). Featuring a mysterious crisis where the MCU’s Time Variance Authority is trying to recruit Wade Wilson to save the multiverse,Deadpool & Wolverineis set to explore the greater MCU along with elements from Fox’sX-Menuniverse as well. To that end,here are 10 reasons whyDeadpool & Wolverinewill most likely earn a billion dollars at the box office (if not more).
How To Watch the Marvel Movies In Order (By Release Date & In Order Of MCU Timeline Events)
Want to catch up before the next release, or just revisit the universe for a refresher? Here’s the order to watch the entire MCU timeline.
10Deadpool Is One Of Marvel’s Most Popular Characters
The Merc With The Mouth Has A Huge Fanbase
Even before Ryan Reynolds brought a more accurate version of the character to live-action,Deadpool has long been one of Marvel Comics' most popular charactersever since his first appearance on the cover of 1991’sThe New Mutants #98.A defining character under the label of anti-hero, Wade Wilson’s ability to rapidly heal and come back from all kinds of brutal confrontations made him perfect as a mercenary, despite his unhinged personality and crazed meta persona. Having the self-awareness to know that he’s in a comic book reality, Deadpool often breaks the fourth wall, interacting and talking directly to readers.
The same meta personality is just as prevalent with Ryan Reynolds' version of Deadpool seen on-screen, at least the more accurate version that debuted in 2016 as opposed toX-Men: Origins'“Weapon XI”. As such, both of Deadpool’s movies released thus far have been incredibly popular with audiences. This has naturally led to an ever-growing fanbase for the Merc With The Mouth who’s been brought to life by Reynolds, and actor/writer/executive producer who’s just as passionate about Wade Wilson as the fans are. Likewise,Deadpool & Wolverinealready has a built-in audience of fans as theDeadpoolfranchise’s third chapter.
9Wolverine Will Boost The Deadpool Franchise’s Already Impressive Numbers
A Hugely Dynamic Duo
According toBox Office Mojo, 2016’sDeadpoolgrossed $782,837,347 worldwide. Likewise, 2018’sDeadpool 2made even more at the box office with a worldwide all-time gross of $785,896,632. Both are extremely impressive numbers for R-rated films, as both are in the Top 5 highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time.
To that end, the added boost of Hugh Jackmann’s Wolverine will more than likely make up the difference.The combination of Jackman coming out of what many believed was a role he’d retired with 2017’sLoganas well as doing so for the sake of a Deadpool team-up is a potent pairing. Regardless of how good or bad the film actually is, the draw of Jackman alone should boostDeadpool & Wolverineswell past the successes of the previous twoDeadpoolmovies.
8Deadpool And Wolverine Promises To Explore The Multiverse In Very Exciting Ways
Visiting The Greater MCU
The added connections to the MCU should also prove to be a big draw forDeadpool & Wolverine. In the first twoDeadpoolmovies, the entirety of both films were solely set in Fox’sX-Menuniverse. However, that’s all about to change thanks to Disney purchasing 20th Century Fox and theX-MenIP which were returned to Marvel Studios.
Now,Deadpool is set to explore the multiverse and visit various times and places in the MCUas has been teased inDeadpool & Wolverine’strailers. It’s a whole new frontier to be explored with Wade Wilson being recruited byLoki’sTVA. As such, the added connections to the biggest cinematic universe of all time should certainly help boost box office numbers to a billion dollars.
7Deadpool Can Be Marvel’s In-Universe And/Or Meta Reset Button
“I Am Marvel Jesus”
It’s no secret that the MCU hasn’t had the same consistency of success it had beforeAvengers: Endgame. Following the end of the Infinity Saga, certain MCU shows and movies have failed to capture the same levels of excitement and positive reception. While there have been major successes and beloved projects likeWandaVision,Moon Knight,Spider-Man: No Way Home, andShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,the MCU has certainly had its share of recent missteps and projects with lower-than-expected returns (Secret Invasion,The Marvels, Thor: Love and Thunder).
An exciting possibility that comes from Deadpool entering the MCU is the ability for Marvel Studios to use him and perhaps recognize in-universe that there’s some need for improvement and a bit of a reset. This is something that has already happened in the real world with Marvel Studios reducing output to focus on higher quality as well as changing their production models with shows.Now, Deadpool can both acknowledge the issues while providing some means of truly “saving” the MCU as its new “Marvel Jesus” as he claims in trailers, an exciting prospect that could prove to be a big box office draw.
6Deadpool and Wolverine Teases An Army Of Rumored Cameos
Mutants, Elektra, And More
Trailers forDeadpool & Wolverinehave already teased that a collection of mutants from Fox’sX-Menfranchise will appear including Toad, Pyro, Lady Deathstrike, and Azazel, as well as Deadpool’s friends and family from the first two films. Likewise, it’s been confirmed that Jennifer Garner is also in Deadpool & Wolverine.Garner will be reprising her role as Elektra Natchiosfrom Fox’sDaredevilandElektramovies of the early 2000s.
Considering the ruins of the 20th Century Fox logo seen in the trailers, there could be a wide array of characters from Fox’s Marvel movies who appearsuch as either/both versions of the Fantastic Four, or perhaps even bigger X-Men like Scott Marsden’s Cyclops or Halle Berry’s Storm. Multiversal variants of Deadpool and Wolverine have also been teased. There could also be a collection of MCU heroes, a prospect that has major box office potential on par withSpider-Man: No Way HomeorAvengers: Endgame, both of which had vast numbers of character appearances and earned more than a billion at the box office.
5Taylor Swift’s Rumored Cameo May Draw In A Wider Audience
Swifties And MCU Uniting Together
While a collection of cameos from non-MCU heroes could be very exciting,the potential for Taylor Swift to be inDeadpool & Wolverineis another matter entirely. The mega pop star has long been rumored to be playing the mutant hero Dazzler in the upcoming movie, a role that would fit her quite well seeing as how Marvel’s Alison Blaire is also a huge pop star in the Marvel Universe. Likewise, there’s also a compelling collection of potential clues and “evidence” pointing toward the potential for a cameo role for Swift.
One of the biggest teases was back in October 2023 when Reynolds, Levy, and Jackman all joined Swift to watch a Kansas City Chiefs game. It’s also worth noting that Swift is good friends with Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively, and Wade Wilson himself even wore a shirt with Swift’s cats on it inDeadpool 2. Regardless of all the potential clues,there’s no denying that a Taylor Swift appearance as Dazzler would certainly helpDeadpool & Wolverineearn over a billion dollars, as the audience would certainly grow by appealing to two of the world’s biggest fanbases (Swifties and MCU fans).
4The Return Of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Is A Big Deal
Continuing A 24-Year-Old Legacy
Hugh Jackman’s return to the Wolverine role is a big deal. Having originally debuted as Logan in 2000’sX-Men,Jackman has been the sole live-action Wolverine for over 24 years. As such, Jackman’s return after his character’s death in 2017’sLogancame as quite a surprise. The opportunity to see Jackman playing what will likely be a variant of Wolverine joining forces with Deadpool and wearing a legitimate supersuit like the one seen in the comics will prove to be very exciting.
Keeping that in mind,the thirdDeadpoolmovie will likely get audience members who might not have been all that interested in the first two movies but do have a lot of love for Wolverine and his cinematic legacy. After all, Jackman has played the character for close to two and a half decades. That means there’s a wide multi-generational audience this movie is likely tapping into through Wolverine which is always a plus for box office success.
3Deadpool And Wolverine Is 2024’s Only MCU Movie
It’s also worth noting thatDeadpool & Wolverineis the only MCU movie releasing in 2024which will undoubtedly help at the box office. All of Marvel fans' hype and excitement is essentially concentrated on a single film this year, a rarity when it comes to the cinematic universe’s typical release schedule. This also means that there may even be a greater number of repeat viewings, especially if the movie is as good and exciting as MCU fans hope it will be.
2Deadpool And Wolverine Doesn’t Have Big Box Office Competition
Not A Lot Of Other Blockbusters In July
When looking at July as a whole,Deadpool and Wolverinedoesn’t have much competition at the box office. The biggest July releases besides the upcoming MCU film areDespicableMe 4andTwisters, and both are releasing in the weeks beforeDeadpool & Wolverine(though that isn’t to say thatDespicable Me 4has the exact same demographic asDeadpool and Wolverine). Likewise, August doesn’t appear to have many big blockbuster rivals either, at least not at first.
Lionsgate’sBorderlandsvideo game adaptation is set to release on August 9th, whileAlien: Romulusreleases the week after on the 16th.That means thatDeadpool & Wolverinewill essentially have a couple of weeks as the only major blockbusterbefore receiving any kind of meaningful competition. As such, it’s a very good sign for the movie’s box office potential overall.
1Early Deadpool And Wolverine Ticket Sales Already Broke Records
The Most Pre-Sales Ever For An R-Rated Movie
Another great sign is thatDeadpool & Wolverinehas already broken records concerning ticket pre-sales. Given the large amount of hype and anticipation, it should come as no surprise thatDeadpool & Wolverinealready has the record for the most pre-sale tickets ever for an R-rated movie according to AMC and Fandango. Naturally, this is one of the most promising signs that the upcoming MCU is well on its way to earning over a billion dollars, the first time an MCU movie will have done so since 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home.
Deadpool & Wolverineis set to release July 26th from Marvel Studios
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
