I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but this weekend sees the release of a little movie based on a comic book character that few expected to see back on the big screen. Will this Merc with a Mouth top the box office? Here’s our prediction:
After years of rumours, and a botched first appearance onscreen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds finally brings his passion project, Deadpool to movie theatres, complete with X-Men cameos, and a hard R rating that keeps the character close to his violent and dirty roots. Amazingly, the film has been getting raves from critics, sitting with an 82% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes – better than Avengers: Age of Ultron for comparisons sake. The marketing has been huge around this one, and that may be the only real issue that could arise – there could be too much Deadpool out there and non-genre fans could be turned off. Regardless, for one weekend at least, the Merc with a Mouth should top the box office, with a solid $60 million debut.
Also opening this weekend are Zoolander 2 and How To Be Single, both of which are suffering from horrible reviews. Zoolander 2 is especially a let down – while the original 2001 film wasn’t a huge hit, it did develop a cult following. Meanwhile, How To Be Single has the benefit of both Dakota Johnson and Valentine’s Day weekend going for it, along with co-star Rebel Wilson, so for the ladies who aren’t dragged to Deadpool, this could be the winning option. Look for How To Be Single to debut in third place with $18 million, while Zoolander 2 will hit fourth place with $16 million.
As for the rest of the top five, look for Kung Fu Panda 3 to drop to second place with $19 million, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens will close things out in fifth place with $7.5 million.
So, to recap, here are our predictions:
1) Deadpool – $60 million
2) Kung Fu Panda 3 – $19 million
3) How To Be Single – $18 million
4) Zoolander 2 – $16 million
5) Star Wars: The Force Awakens – $7.5 million
Be sure to check back on Sunday to see how the weekend turns out!
