Deadpool unseats Avengers at box office
Deadpool and his foulmouthed crew of misfits and malcontents have taken down the Avengers.
Fox’s Deadpool 2 brought in $125 million (U.S.) on the weekend, giving it the second-highest opening ever for an R-rated movie and ending the threeweek reign of Disney’s Avengers: Infinity Warat the top of the North American box office, according to studio estimates.
The Deadpool sequel, with Ryan Reynolds returning as the title character and co-writing this time, fell somewhat short of the $130 million the studio predicted and the $132.4 million its predecessor earned two years ago.
In a different corner of the cinematic universe, Book Club debuted in third, with a $12.5million weekend haul that exceeded expectations. It was a successful piece of counterprogramming for Paramount, which used the modestly budgeted comedy starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen to attract women and older audiences to theatres. “There are definitely audiences out there for whom superhero movies are not their cup of tea,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres: 1. Deadpool 2, $125 million 2. Avengers: Infinity War, $28.6 million 3. Book Club, $12.5 million 4. Life of the Party, $7.7 million 5. Breaking In, $6.4 million 6. Show Dogs, $6 million 7. Overboard, $4.7 million 8. A Quiet Place, $4 million 9. Rampage, $1.5 million 10. I Feel Pretty, $1.2 million