Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) and Marvel Studios' "Deadpool & Wolverine" continue dominating the box office, grossing $824 million globally after two weekends in release.
The movie raked $38.5 million in Thursday previews, reaching a record for an R-rated film.
The comic book sequel, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprising their roles, has already surpassed the entire theatrical runs of 2016's "Deadpool" ($783 million) and 2018's "Deadpool 2" ($786 million), Variety reports.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" is now the second-highest grossing movie of 2024, trailing only "Inside Out 2" ($1.555 billion), and ranks as the third-biggest R-rated movie in history after "Joker" ($1.07 billion) and "Oppenheimer" ($975 million). It's on track to cross the $1 billion mark soon.
This weekend, Disney became the first studio in 2024 to surpass $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales with only four nationwide releases: "Deadpool & Wolverine," "Inside Out 2," "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" ($397 million), and "The First Omen" ($53 million).
The film has also performed well in premium formats like Imax Corp (NYSE: IMAX), contributing $17.5 million in global weekend ticket sales and $64.5 million.
Disney purchased Marvel for $4 billion in 2009. According to the Hollywood Reporter's March reports, Marvel has added approximately $13.2 billion in value to Disney.
In May, Disney reported revenue growth of 1% year-on-year to $22.08 billion, lagging the analyst consensus estimate of $22.11 billion.
Investors can gain exposure to Disney through SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: VOO).
Price Actions: DIS shares closed lower by 3.74% at $89.57 on Friday. IMAX closed higher by 0.57% at $21.30.