Only seven R-rated movies have ever grossed over $300 million domestically. Of those seven, the highest-grossing is Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which grossed $370 million when it was released 20 years ago. Those numbers are about to change though, because by this weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine will cross $300 million—and after this weekend, it’ll beat The Passion of the Christ and become the highest-grossing R-rated ever in the United States.
In other words, Marvel Jesus is about to beat Jesus Jesus.
After that, the only question is how high can Deadpool & Wolverine go? It’s going to beat Gibson’s 20-year-old record in just over a week, if not less, and the summer movie season has several weeks to go with little major competition. The other major milestone it can reach is becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever globally, which currently is Todd Phillips’ Joker. Joker grossed almost $1.1 billion in 2019, which Deadpool is almost certain to top. It’s already made $500 million internationally after its first week.
All of which, you have to think, was probably expected. Disney doesn’t let Marvel make an R-rated movie unless it’s fairly sure it won’t blow up in their faces. This, clearly, has not. But can it beat itself? Disney’s other major 2024 summer hit, Inside Out 2, has topped $615 million domestically and $1.5 billion internationally after six weeks. It’s already in the top 15 of all time. If Deadpool & Wolverine started to approach those numbers it would be a feat even bigger than bringing the Merc with the Mouth to the MCU.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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