Just hours before their highly-anticipated Deadpool and Wolverine films hit theaters, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman took over San Diego Comic-Con.
Reynolds, 47, and Jackman, 55, were joined by director Shawn Levy and several other special guests at Thursday’s panel in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center.
As thousands of fans greeted them in San Diego, millions of fans took advantage of Thursday’s preview screenings for what could be a record-breaking experience.
Early reports claim that Thursday night’s preview gross could be between $35 million and $40 million, which would be a record for an R-rated film, according to Deadline.
The superhero sequel had been projected to debut between $160 million and $170 million… but could now be closer to $200 million, a first for an R-rated film.
Just hours before their highly-anticipated Deadpool and Wolverine films hit theaters, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman took over San Diego Comic-Con.
Reynolds, 47, and Jackman, 55, were joined by director Shawn Levy and several other special guests at Thursday’s panel in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center.
Reynolds took the stage in a pink short-sleeved shirt and forest green pants for the panel in Hall H.
He was joined by Jackman, who wore a white T-shirt, blue jacket and blue pants for the event.
The Deadpool and Wolverine stars were joined by co-star Emma Corrin, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and director Shawn Levy, who had a surprise for fans.
Instead of a traditional panel showing snippets of footage, the panel was actually a secret advance screening of the entire film.
After the screening, Feige said it was “the best moviegoing experience of my entire life,” giving the stars and filmmakers a taste of what to expect when fans flood theaters this weekend, which could indeed become historic.
While we won’t know until official numbers come in on Friday, an early report from Deadline claims Thursday’s preview grosses are north of $35 million, and possibly even as high as $40 million.
That would be roughly double the previous record for an R-rated film, this film’s predecessor, 2018’s Deadpool 2, which grossed $18.6 million.
It’s still far from the overall Thursday preview record ($60 million for 2019’s Avengers: Endgame), but it would be in the top nine if it tops $31 million.
Reynolds took the stage in a short-sleeved pink button-down shirt and forest green pants for the panel in Hall H.
He was joined by Jackman, who sported a white T-shirt, blue jacket and blue pants for the event.
The Deadpool and Wolverine stars were joined by co-star Emma Corrin, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and director Shawn Levy, who had a surprise for fans.
Instead of a traditional panel showing snippets of footage, the panel was actually a secret advance screening of the entire film.
After the screening, Feige said it was “the best moviegoing experience of my entire life,” giving the stars and filmmakers a taste of what to expect when fans flood theaters this weekend, which could indeed become historic.
The new Thursday night screening would be on par with Marvel’s 2022 sequel Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which earned $36 million in Thursday previews en route to a $187.4 million opening weekend.
Marvel’s 2018 blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War grossed $39 million on Thursday ahead of a massive $257.6 million debut.
How Deadpool and Wolverine’s Thursday gross will impact their opening weekend remains to be seen, though they’ve already received plenty of praise from critics.
It currently has an 80% fresh score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a whopping 98% audience score from over 2,500 viewers in Thursday’s previews.