The highly anticipated third instalment in the Deadpool franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine hit cinemas across the world last week. The must-see cultural moment of the year saw over 930,000 Deadpool fans flock to cinemas across Australia from Wednesday to Sunday, propelling Deadpool & Wolverine to deliver the biggest opening weekend audience result since Barbie. A massive 66 per cent of the audience fell into the hard-to-reach 18- 39 demographic.
At the box office, Deadpool & Wolverine has grossed a staggering $438.3 million globally since its release, including a record-breaking $17.6 million at the Australian box office across its Thursday – Sunday opening weekend ($19.9 million, including preview screenings), setting a new record for the franchise.
Hoyts‘ innovative marketing campaigns supported the record-breaking opening. The Cinema brand told B&T that collectible popcorn tins flew out the door after their release last week.
The records kept tumbling, with Deadpool & Wolverine delivering the highest-grossing opening weekend for an MA15+ film of all time, the 10th highest-grossing opening weekend of all time in Australia and the fourth-highest MCU opening weekend of all time behind Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Avengers: Infinity War.
“As one of 2024’s most anticipated releases, we knew Deadpool & Wolverine would deliver massive results across Australia,” said Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema. “The film’s cultural impact is undeniable, rivalling the phenomenon that was Barbie, and this record-breaking opening weekend has once again proved cinema’s power in capturing and connecting with hard-to reach youth audiences – which is what we’d come to expect on titles like this”.
Deadpool & Wolverine has captivated audiences and critics alike. The film received an ‘A’ CinemaScore and a 97% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes—the second-highest score in MCU history. This will undoubtedly drive positive word of mouth and continued strength at the box office for weeks to come.
“Deadpool & Wolverine is just the beginning of an extraordinary second half for Cinema,” said Burbidge. “We’re forecasting +35% YoY growth in audience over Q4 driven by a quality and highly anticipated slate of content.
As with Deadpool & Wolverine, the hype is real, with recent trailer releases for Joker: Folie a Deux and Moana 2 breaking individual studio viewing records and Gladiator 2 amongst the most viewed Paramount trailers ever. In a critical moment for brands, Cinema is well placed to deliver huge cultural moments through Christmas and Summer.
