The highly anticipated third installment in the Deadpool franchise, “Deadpool & Wolverine” hit cinemas across the world last week.
The must-see cultural moment of the year saw over 930,000 Deadpool fans flock to cinemas across Australia from Wednesday to Sunday, propelling “Deadpool & Wolverine” to deliver the biggest opening weekend audience result since “Barbie.” A massive 66% of the audience fell into the hard-to-reach 18-39 demographic.
At the box office, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed a staggering $438.3 million globally since its release, including a record-breaking $17.6 million at the Australian box office across its Thursday–Sunday opening weekend ($19.9 million including preview screenings) setting a new record for the franchise.
The records kept tumbling, with “Deadpool & Wolverine” delivering the highest-grossing opening weekend for an MA15+ film of all time, the 10th highest-grossing opening weekend of all time in Australia and the fourth-highest MCU opening weekend of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
“As one of 2024’s most anticipated releases, we knew “Deadpool & Wolverine” would deliver massive results across Australia” said Guy Burbidge, Managing Director of Val Morgan Cinema. “The film’s cultural impact is undeniable, rivalling the phenomenon that was “Barbie” and this record-breaking opening weekend has once again proved cinema’s power in capturing and connecting with hard-to-reach youth audiences – which is what we’d come to expect on titles like this.”
“Deadpool & Wolverine” has captivated audiences and critics alike with the film receiving an ‘A’ CinemaScore and a 97% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes – the second-highest score in MCU history, which will undoubtedly drive positive word of mouth and continued strength at the box office for weeks to come.
“’Deadpool & Wolverine’ is just the beginning of an extraordinary second half for Cinema,” said Burbidge. “We’re forecasting +35% YoY growth in audience over Q4 driven by a quality and highly anticipated slate of content. As with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ the hype is real with recent trailer releases for ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ and ‘Moana 2’ breaking individual studio viewing records and ‘Gladiator 2’ amongst the most viewed Paramount trailers ever. In a critical moment for brands, Cinema is well placed to deliver huge cultural moments through Christmas and Summer.”
Source: *CineTAM 2024 (Wed-Sun)