‘Deadpool 2’ helps Fox beat Street outlook

Strong box office sales from “Deadpool 2” and growth in its cable division helped Twenty-First Century Fox beat Wall Street’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue projections.

Fox, which is selling its entertainment assets to Disney for $71.3 billion, said its merger is coming to a close — and it is looking forward to its next chapter as a media company focused on news and sports. Dubbed “New Fox,” the company is now concentrating on expanding Fox News, Fox Sports and the Fox broadcasting network, executives said.

In order to accomplish that, Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch told investors that Fox News is preparing to launch Fox Nation, a streaming service, around the midterm elections.

Murdoch also touted the firm’s acquisition of rights to the NFL’s “Thurs- day Night Football” and domestic rights for WWE’s “SmackDown Live.”

Turning to the quarter ended June 30, Fox, which shares ownership with News Corp., parent of The Post, said net income attributable to company stockholders expanded 93.3 percent, to $920 million, or 49 cents a share.

Excluding certain items, profits came in at 57 cents, beating Wall Street’s estimates of 54 cents.

Revenue rose 17.7 percent, to $7.94 bil- lion, topping analysts’ estimates of $7.56 billion.

Fox’s cable unit, home of Fox News and FX, watched operating profit grow 12 percent while its television unit saw operating profit slip 23 percent.

“Deadpool 2,” which grossed $730 million, helped the filmed entertainment unit swing to a $289 million operating profit.

Fox shares slid 2 cents in after-hours trading, to $44.94.