After 18 weeks in theaters across the US, Fox has released the final numbers for Deadpool. And, looking at them, one has to wonder - why wasn't the movie greenlighted sooner? In total, without the costs of the excellent marketing campaign, the studio paid out $58 million dollars. Which is quite a small sum for a superhero flick, but one which gives the director and the actors more liberty. And now, after Deadpool has completed its domestic run, those $58 million have brought in $363 million, which is about $30 million more than what Batman v Superman has managed.
Almost $776 million worldwide on such a small budget is quite an achievement.
And Deadpool wasn't even released in China, which has become a strong market for Hollywood productions over the past few years. For example, Warcraft made about $200 million in two weeks in China - if Deadpool was released there as well, it could have beaten the total gross of Batman v Superman.
So it’s a total success for Fox, a studio better known for not seeing eye to eye with the fans as far as its Marvel productions are concerned. What does that mean for the franchise’s future? Well, it’s a good thing that the team won't change for the Deadpool sequel, so at least there is that. But what about the budget? A bigger budget would surely mean less creative freedom.
And then there is also the tone of the film, something many have warned about - the R-rating probably didn’t help the movie become a blockbuster, but it did help it stay true to the character. Will it be the same with the sequel? Deadpool 2 is currently scheduled for a 2017 release date, which is a bit too soon, as far as we are concerned.
But the good thing is that the date isn't set in stone. So the writers and the director can take all the time they need in order to come up with a movie that yet again will surprise everybody.
