Marvel’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ surpasses $1 billion worldwide, sets new record

Marvel’s first-ever R-rated movie, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” is officially the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

On Thursday, the third “Deadpool” movie reached a global earnings total of $1.086 billion, surpassing the previous highest-grossing R-rated movie, “Joker,” per The Hollywood Reporter . These are the only two R-rated movies to ever surpass $1 billion at the box office.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” smashed at the box office in July with a $211 million domestic opening, per Box Office Mojo . The film’s domestic earnings now total more than $512 million.

It sits behind Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and the second- highest earning movie of the year.

Amid dying interest in Marvel movies, the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine suggests there is still a large audience interested in superhero flicks.

Marvel mania was presumed dead with the release of “Madame Web” in February, which grossed just $100 million at the box office worldwide, per Box Office Mojo .

But the third “Deadpool” installment could be reviving superhero fandom. It is the first superhero film to earn over $1 billion worldwide since 2021′s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” reported The Hollywood Reporter .

Marvel’s change in direction could account for renewed interest in superhero movies.

“People thought when Disney bought Marvel, ‘They’re going to shave off the hard edges. They’re going to make it all G-rated’. ... Of course, that was never the intention,” said Kevin Feige Producer and President at Marvel Studios, per Disney .

How many R-rated movies has Marvel made?

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is the first and only R-rated movie ever released by Marvel. “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2″ — both rated R — were released by 20th Century Fox, per Screen Rant .

Disney and Disney-associated studios such as Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar have traditionally stayed away from R-rated content. There are no R-rated “Star Wars” movies and Pixar has never released a film with a rating above PG.

In July 2022, Disney+ added its first R-rated movies to the streaming platform: “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2″ and “Logan,” per Variety . In the two years since, a handful of more R-rated movies have been added to the platform, including “Bullet Train,” “All of Us Strangers” and “The Predator.”

DC Studios, owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment, has not strayed from releasing R-rated superhero movies. “Joker,” “The Suicide Squad,” “Birds of Prey,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and other DC superhero movies all have an R rating.

Why is ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ rated R?

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout (118 uses of the F word), gore and sexual references, per IMDb .

“‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is stuffed full of foul language, sex jokes and gore,” wrote The New York Times. “‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is certainly not for kids.”

“Disney’s newest superhero film features plenty of violence, bloody and relentless and eventually mind-numbing ... filthy wisecracks abound.”

About 57% of movies are R-rated

A 2018 study from the Motion Picture Association of America found that since 1968, more than 17,200 movies have been given an R rating, per The Hollywood Reporter . Less than 5,000 movies had a PG-13 rating, a rating which was conceived in 1984. And nearly 5,600 movies were rated PG.

Between 1968 and 2018, the MPAA rated 29,791 films — 57% of those movies were rated R, per Business Insider .

Despite the majority of released movies having an R rating, trends show R-rated movies aren’t typically as successful at the box office. In 2022, nearly two-thirds of box office revenue came from PG-13 movies, per Statista .

“If the greatest chance of box office success is having a PG-13 rating, or not having an R rating, then that’s where the industry really had to go if that was the primary goal,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, per Axios .

Are there any family-friendly superhero movies?

Yes. Most Marvel and other superhero movies are rated PG-13, but there are superhero movies you can watch with the entire family, including young kids.

Here are some superhero movies that are all rated PG:

• “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse”
• “Superman: The Movie”
• “Sky High”
• “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
• “The Incredibles”
• “Big Hero 6”
• “The Rocketeer”