'Deadpool & Wolverine' pulverizes a slew of records with $205M opening

Deadpool turned out to be the box-office savior Marvel needed.

" Deadpool & Wolverine " earned an estimated $205 million at the domestic box office this weekend, according to Comscore, by far the largest opening ever for a R-rated movie. The record was previously held by the original " Deadpool ," which debuted to $132.4 million in 2016.

The big haul also represented the eighth-largest domestic opening weekend ever, putting the debut just ahead of " Black Panther " and behind the original "The Avengers," according to Box Office Mojo .

Disney noted that "Deadpool & Wolverine" had the biggest opening weekend for any film since " Spider-Man: No Way Home " in 2021, as well as the biggest opening for a movie released in July.

Final numbers are expected Monday.

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Review: Hugh Jackman claws his way back to superhero glory in 'Deadpool & Wolverine'

It was a much-needed win for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, coming off a major box-office disappointment with " The Marvels ." Released last November, the "Captain Marvel" sequel made just $206.1 million worldwide , a huge decline from the original film's $1.1 billion. After " Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania " previously disappointed at the box office, analysts questioned whether superhero franchise fatigue was hurting Marvel.

But that didn't hold back " Deadpo o l & Wolverine ," which introduced both title heroes to the MCU for the first time. Disney acquired the rights to the characters after buying 21st Century Fox , which released the first two "Deadpool" movies. "Deadpool & Wolverine" was also the first MCU movie to receive a R rating.

It's the latest success in a strong year for Disney, which recently set a new record for highest-grossing animated film of all time with " Inside Out 2 ." Both movies injected life into a summer box office that got off to a slow start when " The Fall Guy " performed below expectations in May.

Spoilers! Let's discuss those epic 'Deadpool & Wolverine' cameos and ending

The weekend was a big one for Marvel all around. The studio also shocked fans on Saturday with the announcement that "Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the franchise as a new character, the villainous Doctor Doom , in 2026's "Avengers: Doomsday."

For now, though, Marvel does not have another film scheduled for 2024, making this a rare year with only one movie from the studio. The MCU won't return to theaters until " Captain America: Brave New World ," scheduled for Feb. 14.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Deadpool & Wolverine' pulverizes a slew of records with $205M opening