Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s Deadpool & Wolverine is new in theaters, but how soon will it be coming to streaming?
Deadpool & Wolverine, of course, marks the long-awaited debut of the mutant superheroes in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both characters were previously in Deadpool and X-Men movies produced by 20th Century Fox, but it took Disney’s purchase of the revered Hollywood studio in 2017 to finally bring the characters under its MCU umbrella.
While Deadpool & Wolverine is an MCU movie, it differs from Disney superhero movies like Avengers: Endgame because it is being produced by 20th Century Studios since it’s an R-rated film. Disney, of course, is known for family-friendly fare, and all of its prior MCU chapters were rated PG-13.
Deadpool & Wolverine will eventually stream, however, on Disney+ instead of Hulu—the company’s home for more mature-themed 20th Century Studios films. There’s a specific reason for the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine is getting a pass to stream on Disney+, which will be explained later in this article.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Will First Debut On Digital Streaming After Theaters
The only way to see Deadpool & Wolverine right now is in theaters, so check your local listings for showtimes.
When the film pivots to a home entertainment release, it will first be available on digital streaming via premium video on demand. PVOD releases—which are available on such digital platforms as Prime Video, AppleTV+, Fandango at Home (VUDU) and Google Play—typically cost $24.99 to purchase and $19.99 to rent for a 48-hour period.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s PVOD debut will strictly depend on how the film performs in theaters. By all indications, though, Deadpool & Wolverine will be a hit out of the gate.
Variety projects the film will make $160 million to $170 million in 4,200 North American theaters and $180 million to $190 million in international ticket sales for an opening global gross of anywhere between $340 million to $360 million. The trade publication also noted that Deadpool & Wolverine had a production budget of $200 million and a prints and advertising spend of $100 million.
Since Deadpool & Wolverine is poised to become an international blockbuster, it’s a bit more difficult to project how soon it will be available on PVOD. Typically, though, it takes approximately 60 days from the time a 20th Century Studios film premieres in theaters to arrive on PVOD. That was the case, anyway, with the studio’s horror thriller The First Omen (April 5 theatrical release/May 28 PVOD debut) and sci-fi adventure Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10 theatrical release/July 9 PVOD debut).
If Deadpool & Wolverine follows the 60-day model illustrated above, the movie could arrive on digital streaming as soon as September 17 or September 20, since PVOD releases generally fall on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in “Deadpool & Wolverine.
Even though Deadpool & Wolverine is rated R and is a 20th Century Studios release, the first subscription streaming service it will play on is Disney+.
The reason Deadpool & Wolverine will not premiere on Hulu instead—like The First Omen and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes—is because Disney wants to make all of its Marvel titles available at the same streaming service. As such, when Deadpool & Wolverine makes its streaming video on demand debut, it will join Deadpool, Deadpool 2 and Logan as the newest R-rated Marvel title to stream on Disney+.
Depending again on the film’s financial success, it may take Deadpool & Wolverine longer to debut on SVOD than the 90-day window of most other 20th Century Studios titles. Using Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes again as an example, the film was released in theaters on May 10 and is scheduled to start streaming on Disney-owned Hulu on Friday, August 2.
If Deadpool & Wolverine follows the same release pattern, then fans can expect to stream the movie on Disney+ as early as October 25.
Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters nationwide on July 26.
