There are several key indicators to suggest that Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first MCU movie in 3 years to earn over 1 Billion dollars.
Deadpool & Wolverine has a solid chance of being the first MCU movie 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 to Deadpool & Wolverine having a very successful box office run.
Releasing July 26th, Deadpool & Wolverine is 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’s X-Men Origins). Featuring a mysterious crisis where the MCU’s Time Variance Authority is trying to recruit Wade Wilson to save the multiverse, Deadpool & Wolverine is set to explore the greater MCU along with elements from Fox’s X-Men universe as well. To that end, here are 10 reasons why Deadpool & Wolverine will most likely earn a billion dollars at the box office (if not more).
10. Deadpool 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 characters ever since his first appearance on the cover of 1991’s The 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 to X-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 & Wolverine already has a built-in audience of fans as the Deadpool franchise’s third chapter.
9. Wolverine Will Boost The Deadpool Franchise’s Already Impressive Numbers
A Hugely Dynamic Duo
According to Box Office Mojo, 2016’s Deadpool grossed $782,837,347 worldwide. Likewise, 2018’s Deadpool 2 made 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’s Logan as 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 boost Deadpool & Wolverines well past the successes of the previous two Deadpool movies.
8. Deadpool 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 for Deadpool & Wolverine. In the first two Deadpool movies, the entirety of both films were solely set in Fox’s X-Men universe. However, that’s all about to change thanks to Disney purchasing 20th Century Fox and the X-Men IP which were returned to Marvel Studios.
Now, Deadpool is set to explore the multiverse and visit various times and places in the MCU as has been teased in Deadpool & Wolverine’s trailers. It’s a whole new frontier to be explored with Wade Wilson being recruited by Loki’s TVA. As such, the added connections to the biggest cinematic universe of all time should certainly help boost box office numbers to a billion dollars.
7. Deadpool 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 before Avengers: 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 like WandaVision, Moon Knight, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Shang-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.
6. Deadpool and Wolverine Teases An Army Of Rumored Cameos
Mutants, Elektra, And More
Trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine have already teased that a collection of mutants from Fox’s X-Men franchise 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 Natchios from Fox’s Daredevil and Elektra movies 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 appear such 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 with Spider-Man: No Way Home or Avengers: Endgame, both of which had vast numbers of character appearances and earned more than a billion at the box office.
5. Taylor 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 in Deadpool & Wolverine is 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 in Deadpool 2. Regardless of all the potential clues, there’s no denying that a Taylor Swift appearance as Dazzler would certainly help Deadpool & Wolverine earn over a billion dollars, as the audience would certainly grow by appealing to two of the world’s biggest fanbases (Swifties and MCU fans).
4. The 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’s X-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’s Logan came 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 third Deadpool movie 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.
3. Deadpool And Wolverine Is 2024’s Only MCU Movie
It May Lead To A Bigger Turnout
It’s also worth noting that Deadpool & Wolverine is the only MCU movie releasing in 2024 which 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.
2. Deadpool 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 Wolverine doesn’t have much competition at the box office. The biggest July releases besides the upcoming MCU film are Despicable Me 4 and Twisters, and both are releasing in the weeks before Deadpool & Wolverine (though that isn’t to say that Despicable Me 4 has the exact same demographic as Deadpool and Wolverine). Likewise, August doesn’t appear to have many big blockbuster rivals either, at least not at first.
Lionsgate’s Borderlands video game adaptation is set to release on August 9th, while Alien: Romulus releases the week after on the 16th. That means that Deadpool & Wolverine will essentially have a couple of weeks as the only major blockbuster before receiving any kind of meaningful competition. As such, it’s a very good sign for the movie’s box office potential overall.
1. Early Deadpool And Wolverine Ticket Sales Already Broke Records
The Most Pre-Sales Ever For An R-Rated Movie
Another great sign is that Deadpool & Wolverine has already broken records concerning ticket pre-sales. Given the large amount of hype and anticipation, it should come as no surprise that Deadpool & Wolverine already 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’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to release July 26th from Marvel Studios
