Weekend Box Office: Deadpool & Wolverine breaks more records; Trap killed by word-of-mouth

Move over Passion of the Christ – there’s a new highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time now! Indeed, Deadpool & Wolverine, after only eleven days of release, has already overtaken the lifetime gross of Mel Gibson’s classic depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, with the Marvel three-quel only five million away from a $400 million domestic total. With a $97 million weekend, which only represents a 54% week-to-week decline, the film has already bested the lifetime totals of both Deadpool and Deadpool 2. The sky seems to be the limit for what will no doubt prove to be one of Marvel’s biggest movies ever – and proof positive that an R-rating is no detriment to the box office. 

So far, the film’s international total is over $800 million, and it seems likely to pass the billion-dollar mark within a matter of days. That’s absolutely outstanding for an R-rated sequel.

Meanwhile, M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, which features a buzz-worthy performance by Josh Hartnett, has fallen surprisingly flat at the box office. Many thought it would open in the $20 million plus range (but not us), but word of mouth, which slammed the movie with a C+ CinemaScore, is killing this one. It only made $15 million for the weekend and seems doomed to perform similarly to another movie made by a Shyamalan earlier this summer, The Watchers. 

Instead, Twisters (despite already being slapped with a PVOD date) rallied at the box office to a second-place finish. While its second weekend was largely seen as disappointing as it fell over 60%, the film only fell a modest 35% in its third weekend, grossing a solid $22.6 million for a domestic total just shy of $200 million. Despicable Me 4 also continued to perform well for family audiences, adding $11.25 million to its coffers for a $313 million domestic haul. 

Pixar’s runaway hit, Inside Out 2, came in fifth place with $6.7 million. With a domestic total of $626 million, it’s now the 12th highest grossing movie of all time at the North American box office. It should continue climbing the list in the weeks to come, with it nearly certain to crack the all-time top 10. 

However, in terms of family movies, the Zachary Levi-vehicle, Harold and the Purple Crayon, whiffed with audiences, only grossing a measly $6 million. The summer’s horror breakout, Longlegs, made $4.14 million for a $66 million domestic total, which will likely make it one of the most profitable films of the year and a smash hit for Neon. A Quiet Place: Day One also has continued to perform well, with it making another $1.4 million for a $137.4 million domestic total. The Bollywood film Daaru Na Peenda Hove came in ninth place with $615k. At the same time, Bad Boys: Ride or Die started to conclude its successful run with $600k and a domestic total of $192.9 million, making it the second-highest-grossing movie in the franchise.

Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us will be released next weekend. It has sold out preview screenings on Wednesday night nationwide and might turn out to be a surprise hit. Eli Roth’s long-delayed Borderlands adaptation also hits theaters, although no one thinks it has a chance of dethroning Deadpool & Wolverine at the top of the box office. What do you think of its box office chances? Let us know in the comments!