Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine passed a handful of significant box office milestones in its third weekend of release, as it continued a record-breaking theatrical run that has breathed new life into Marvel Studios after a string of underperformers. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the titular roles, the superhero blockbuster held on to its number one position, despite a strong challenge — especially at the domestic box office — from the romantic drama film It Ends with Us. Incidentally, It Ends with Us stars Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, who also voiced Lady Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine.

With $495 million domestically and another $535 million from overseas markets, Deadpool & Wolverine has now joined an elite group of Marvel movies to have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The film’s current global haul stands at $1.03 billion, which means that it is mere days away from passing Joker’s $1.06 billion lifetime haul to become the top-grossing R-rated movie in global box office history. Deadpool & Wolverine had already accomplished this feat domestically, having overtaken The Passion of the Christ’s $370 million haul some days ago.

Deadpool & Wolverine has now surpassed the lifetime global hauls of past MCU blockbusters such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($853 million), Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 ($869 million), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($878 million), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($952 million). It now finds itself in rarefied space; only 10 MCU movies had previously managed to gross more than $1 billion worldwide. Deadpool & Wolverine is now trailing only Captain Marvel ($1.12 billion), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1.13 billion), Captain America: Civil War ($1.15 billion), Iron Man 3 ($1.2 billion), Black Panther ($1.33 billion), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.4 billion), The Avengers ($1.5 billion), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion), Avengers: Infinity War ($2 billion), and Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion).

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Gave Marvel a Kiss of Life

Domestically, the movie has overtaken the likes of Captain Marvel ($426 million), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($453 million), and Avengers: Age of Ultron ($459 million). Now the sixth-biggest MCU hit in domestic box office history, the movie has a long climb ahead of itself before it’s able to enter the top five by passing The Avengers’ $623 million lifetime haul. But it isn’t out of the question. Deadpool & Wolverine has been defying the odds since day one, and there’s no reason to under-estimate it at this stage, especially considering the positive response that it has received from audiences.

Produced on a reported budget of $200 million, the film is directed by Shawn Levy, who has worked with both Reynolds and Jackman in the past. Deadpool & Wolverine marks both characters’ debut in the MCU, after Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox and its assets; this is a major theme in the movie as well.

via Collider