Turns out, it didn't really need a little prayer, more maximum effort. But Deadpool & Wolverine, which has been storming the box office charts since its launch three weeks ago, how now passed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming only the second R-rated film to do so after 2019's Joker.
With $535.2 million from international markets and Stateside income at $494.3 million, the superhero buddy comedy has now made $1,029.5 billion globally. All predictions are that it will overtake Joker's $1.079 billion gross by the end of the week. And the film has reached that point faster than Todd Phillips' film (with the proviso that Joker didn't have a release in China boosting it).
Deadpool & Wolverine is now the second film to pass the billion mark in 2024, following Inside Out 2. Between those two and its other releases, Disney is having a very good year, becoming the first studio to earn more than $3 billion this year.
And it was a very good weekend for the Reynolds/Lively household as Ryan Reynolds' real-life wife, Blake Lively, saw success with her own big new release. It Ends With Us, the romantic drama adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling tome, launched well in the States and elsewhere, earning $50 million in American and $80 million globally in its first weekend. With a $25 million budget (before promotional costs), that's a fantastic, prediction-exceeding start.