As you would expect, Fox’s new superhero movie Deadpool 2 is expected to have a massive opening weekend. According to analysts speaking to Deadline, the Ryan Reynolds-starring action movie could make as much as $350 million worldwide for its first weekend.
This would be $130 million-$150 million domestically and $175 million-$200 million from international markets for a total in the range of $305 million-$350 million.
The first Deadpool opened in February 2016 to an domestic opening-weekend haul of $132.4 million over its first three days and $152.1 million over the first four (it was released on the four-day Presidents Day holiday weekend). Internationally, the original movie made $149.9 million for its opening weekend, Deadline reports, so the sequel is poised to be bigger.
Deadpool 1 went on to make a total of $363 million in the US and Canada, which is good for the second-highest haul for an R-rated movie, behind Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ ($370.7 million), according to Box Office Mojo. The movie made a further $420 million worldwide from international markets for a total of $783.1 million.
This is all to say, Deadpool 2 has big shoes to fill.
GameSpot’s Deadpool 2 review from Michael Rougeau said the film “mostly works for all the same reasons that the original did. Reynolds carries the movie on his back–although this time around he should have shared the load a little more evenly with some of his talented co-stars. But Reynolds’ Wade Wilson is just as charming as ever, in his own twisted way, and Deadpool 2 delivers the laughs, action, and gruesome maimings that fans want.”
For more on the critical reaction to Deadpool 2, check out GameSpot’s roundup of reviews from other critics. The movie, which is directed by John Wick‘s David Leitch and also stars Josh Brolin, hits theatres in the US on May 18.