LOS ANGELES 鈥� Deadpool and his foul-mouthed crew of misfits and malcontents have taken down the Avengers.
Fox鈥檚 鈥淒eadpool 2鈥� brought in $125 million this weekend, giving it the second-highest opening ever for an R-rated movie and ending the three-week reign of Disney鈥檚 鈥淎vengers: Infinity War鈥� at the top of the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
鈥淒eadpool 2,鈥� with Ryan Reynolds returning as the title character and co-writing this time, fell somewhat short of the $130 million the studio predicted and the $132.4 million that its predecessor earned two years ago.
Analysts and the studio said the difference can be attributed to the first film opening on a holiday weekend, and could easily be made up with Memorial Day coming, despite the looming competition from 鈥淪olo: A Star Wars Story.鈥�
鈥淚 think with a holiday on our second weekend we鈥檒l catch 鈥橠eadpool鈥� if not exceed it,鈥� said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for 20th Century Fox.
The film grossed $176.3 million internationally and opened better overseas than the first, especially finding audiences in Latin America.
The Avengers are hardly hurting. Disney and Marvel鈥檚 鈥淎vengers: Infinity War鈥� brought in an estimated $29 million in North America for a four-week take of $595 million domestically and $1.2 billion overseas. It鈥檚 now the fifth highest grossing film of all time worldwide.
In a whole different corner of the cinematic universe, 鈥淏ook Club鈥� was third with a $12.5 million weekend that exceeded expectations.
It was a successful piece of counter-programming for Paramount, which used the modestly budgeted comedy starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen to find older audiences and women while 鈥淒eadpool 2鈥� dwelled overwhelmingly on young men.
鈥淭here are definitely audiences out there for whom superhero movies are not their cup of tea,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.
鈥淒eadpool 2鈥� follows the proudly foul formula of the first, mixing the usual superhero set pieces with gore, gross-out jokes, 80s power ballads and frequent fourth-wall violations.
The box office of the second film suggests that formula can become a long-term franchise, and builds its possibilities with the addition of antihero teammates from Marvel Comics for the title character, including Josh Brolin鈥檚 Cable and Zazie Beetz鈥檚 Domino.
鈥淭he source material is so vast and rich that I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any question that it just opens the door for more,鈥� Aronson said.
Along with the earnings and acclaim for last year鈥檚 R-rated 鈥淟ogan,鈥� Fox has made itself the early leader in the burgeoning subgenre.
鈥淭he R-rating may be restrictive in terms of the audience make-up, but it鈥檚 certainly not restrictive in the creative freedom it offers, so when movies like these hit, they can hit big,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淭here is a place for the R rating. In the superhero genre it offers endless and really cool possibilities.鈥�
鈥淒eadpool 2鈥� next faces off with 鈥淪olo,鈥� but the two films along with the still-earning 鈥淎vengers鈥� ought to make for a major Memorial Day for the industry.
鈥淭his marketplace is big enough for all these films,鈥� Dergarabedian said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淒eadpool 2,鈥� $125 million ($176.3 million international).
2.鈥淎vengers: Infinity War,鈥� $28.6 million ($84.4 million international).
3. 鈥淏ook Club,鈥� $12.5 million.
4. 鈥淟ife of the Party,鈥� $7.7 million ($1.3 million international).
5. 鈥淏reaking In,鈥� $6.4 million ($300,000 international).
6. 鈥淪how Dogs,鈥� $6 million.
7. 鈥淥verboard,鈥� $4.7 million ($4.1 million international).
8. 鈥淎 Quiet Place,鈥� $4 million ($18.8 million international).
9. 鈥淩ampage,鈥� $1.5 million ($4.4 million international).
10. 鈥淚 Feel Pretty,鈥� $1.2 million ($1.7 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and sa国际传媒), according to comScore:
1. 鈥淒eadpool 2,鈥� $176.3 million.
2.鈥淎vengers: Infinity War,鈥� $84.4 million.
3. 鈥淗ow Long Will I Love U,鈥� $36.3 million.
4. 鈥淎 Quiet Place,鈥� $18.8 million.
5. 鈥淩ampage,鈥� $4.4 million.
6. 鈥淧eter Rabbit,鈥� $4.1 million.
7. 鈥淥verboard,鈥� $4.1 million.
8. 鈥淏lumhouse鈥檚 Truth or Dare,鈥� $3.4 million.
9. 鈥淏urning,鈥� $2.3 million.
10. 鈥淪herlock Gnomes,鈥� $2 million.
