Whenbox officeanalysts first started trackingDeadpoolin January, they were estimating that it would earn somewhere between $55 million and $60 million during its opening weekend. For an R-rated movie, those numbers are certainly solid, but the Merc With the Mouth shocked the world by bringing in $132.4 million, breaking the record for the highest-grossing R-rated debut by nearly $40 million. On the heels of this unprecedented success, many have wondered if it will open the door for the Disney-ownedMarvelStudios to consider R-rated adventures, but it seems that isn’t the case. The Los Angeles Times reporterDaniel Millerreveals that Disney CEORobert A. Igershut down this notion.
“We don’t have any plans to make R-rated Marvel movies.”
Of course, this doesn’t come as a terribly huge surprise, sinceMarvelhas found enormous success with their PG-13superhero movies. The studio will kick offPhase Threein just a few short months withCaptain America: Civil War(May 6), which will be followed by a slew of superhero adventures through the year 2019. Debuting later this year isDoctor Strange(November 4),Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(June 19, 2025),Spider-Man(July 23, 2025),Thor: Ragnarok(August 19, 2025),Black Panther(June 03, 2025),Avengers: Infinity War Part I(June 18, 2025),Ant-Man and the Wasp(August 05, 2025),Captain Marvel(June 30, 2025),Avengers: Infinity War - Part II(June 16, 2025) andInhumans(August 05, 2025).
The studio hasn’t announced any of itsPhase 4movies yet, but unlessDeadpoolsparks a massive trend of wildly successfulR-ratedmovies, it seems clear that the MCU will stay in its PG-13 lane. However, there have been reports that 20th Century Fox’s may take advantage of this R-rated success with a number of its Marvel superhero projects that are in development. There have been rumors thatWolverine 3, which marksHugh Jackman’s final portrayal of the iconic title character, will be R-rated, and the studio’sX-Forcemay also go the R-rated route.
X-Forcewas first announced back in 2013, when 20th Century Fox brought onJeff Wadlow(Kick-Ass 2) to write the script and possibly direct. Last week, just days beforeDeadpoolhit theaters, starRyan Reynoldsrevealed thatX-Forcewas his top priority, and while no cast members have been confirmed yet,Deadpoolwas part of theX-Forcelineup in the comics books, which were also created byRob Liefeld.Ryan Reynoldseven appeared in a brief video withOlivia Munn, who playsPsylockeinX-Men: Apocalypse, and, in the comics, was also anX-Forcemember.
As of now,Deadpoolhas made $292.6 million domestically and $621.4 million worldwide. The movie has already beatThe Matrix Reloaded’s $281.6 million mark to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie at the domestic box office, and it’s closing in on that same movie’s worldwide record of $742 million. It’s also worth noting thatDeadpool’s $132.4 million opening weekend was higher than all of the MCU movies except for three,Iron Man 3($174.1 million),Avengers: Age of Ultron($191.2 million) andMarvel’s The Avengers($207.8 million). It remains to be seen how many more recordsDeadpoolwill break before ending its theatrical run, but it’s success may signal a new wave of R-rated superhero adventures. Do you think Marvel should make R-rated movies?
