(Los Angeles) Marvel Superheroes Deadpool & Wolverine are holding on to the top step of the North American box office podium this weekend, despite the smash hit of the romantic comedy “Never Again,” according to projections from specialist firm Exhibitor Relations published Sunday.
Buoyed by the popularity of stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), the Disney blockbuster “raked in $54 million” in revenue this weekend to reach “a total of $494.3 million” domestically, Exhibitor Relations reported in its weekly estimates.
The film even passed the billion dollar mark internationally. Released in 2019, Joker was until then the only other “R” rated film (not recommended for children under 17) to reach $1 billion, according to the magazine. Hollywood Reporter.
On the second step, It Ends with Us (Sony), starring the star of Gossip Girls Blake Lively also had a great launch with $50 million between Friday and Sunday. A successful weekend for the famous couple formed by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.
This is the first time in a month of August, traditionally quiet in movie theaters, that two films have grossed around fifty million dollars in the same weekend, according to the magazine. Variety.
Based on the best-selling book by American writer Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us could be among the top box office openings for a romance film, analysts say, with the list currently dominated by Fifty Shades of Grey released in 2015.
In third position, Twisters (Universal), a remake of the 1996 disaster film about the devastating Oklahoma tornadoes, grossed $15 million, dropping one spot from last weekend.
Derived from a video game, Borderlands (Lionsgate) ranked fourth with $8.8 million, a weak showing for its opening weekend in theaters according to analysts, despite a star-studded cast that included Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart.
In fifth place, the animated film Despicable Me 4 (Universal), the latest installment in the Minions universe, has reached $8 million.
The rest of the ranking
- Trap (6.7 million)
- Inside Out 2 (5 million)
- Harold and the Purple Crayon (3.1 million)
- Cuckoo (3 million)
- Longlegs (2 million)