Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Deadpool and Wolverine. Produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018). The film was directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay he wrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells. Reynolds and Hugh Jackman respectively star as Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Logan / Wolverine, alongside Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, and Matthew Macfadyen. In the film, Deadpool learns that the Time Variance Authority is set to destroy his universe and works with a reluctant Wolverine from another universe to stop them.
Development on a third Deadpool film began at 20th Century Fox by November 2016, but was placed on hold after the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019. Control of the character and Fox's X-Men film series was transferred to Marvel Studios, which began developing a new film with Reynolds. It integrates Deadpool with the MCU and retains the R rating of the previous Deadpool films, a first for the MCU. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin joined in November 2020 as writers. Reese and Wernick returned from the previous films for rewrites by March 2022, when Levy was hired as director. They, along with Reynolds and Wells, had difficulty figuring out the film's story until Jackman decided to reprise his role as Wolverine from the X-Men films in August 2022. Several other actors from the X-Men films and other Marvel productions also returned as part of the film's multiverse story, which serves as a farewell to Fox's Marvel films. Filming began in May 2023 at Pinewood Studios in England, with additional filming in Norfolk, Los Angeles, and at Bovingdon Film Studios. Production was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, but resumed in November and wrapped in January 2024. The title was revealed a month later.
Deadpool & Wolverine premiered on July 22, 2024, at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and was released in the United States on July 26 as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It has grossed $940.3 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2024.
== Plot ==
In 2018, after Wade Wilson uses Cable’s time-travel device to bring his girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle back to life, he travels from his universe, Earth-10005, to Earth-616/the “Sacred Timeline” hoping to join the Avengers and give his life added meaning. He is rejected by Happy Hogan and returns to his own universe. Six years later, Wade has broken up with Vanessa and retired from being the masked mercenary Deadpool. He works as a used-car salesman with his friend Peter Wisdom.
During Wade’s birthday party, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) captures him and brings him to Mr. Paradox. Paradox reveals that Wade’s timeline is deteriorating as a result of the death of its stabilizing “anchor being”, Logan. Paradox plans to use a device called a “Time Ripper” to speed up this process rather than spend thousands of years waiting for the timeline to die naturally. He offers to spare Wade by sending him to the Sacred Timeline where he is expected to play an important rule in future events. Wade steals Paradox’s TemPad and uses it to travel to Logan’s grave, hoping to resurrect him and save their timeline. When this fails, Wade uses the TemPad to travel the multiverse in search of an alternate universe “variant” of Logan that can replace his own.
Wade returns to the TVA with a variant of Logan but is told by Paradox that an anchor being cannot be replaced, and that this variant is considered to be the worst Wolverine by the TVA due to failing to save his fellow X-Men. When Wade deduces that Paradox is acting without the knowledge of his superiors, Paradox sends Wade and Logan to the Void where all things are consumed by the creature Alioth. Wade and Logan are captured with Johnny Storm and taken to Cassandra Nova, the powerful and sadistic twin sister of X-Men leader Charles Xavier. Cassandra, who made a deal with the TVA to remain in the Void, kills Johnny for insulting her and leaves Wade and Logan to be consumed by Alioth. The pair manage to escape.
Logan and Wade meet variants of Deadpool called “Nicepool” and “Dogpool”, who give them a car and direct them towards a resistance group who have been fighting against Cassandra. Logan agrees to work with Wade in exchange for the TVA fixing his timeline, but when he realizes that this may not be possible the pair fight and are both left unconscious. They are found by the resistance group, consisting of Laura, Elektra, Blade and Gambit. Wade proposes an alliance to fight Cassandra, and Laura convinces Logan to join. The resistance members distract Cassandra’s henchmen while Wade and Logan block her powers by placing Juggernaut’s helmet on her head. Cassandra is betrayed by her follower Pyro on behalf of Paradox and almost dies until Logan convinces Wade to remove the helmet. Cassandra heals herself and opens a portal to Earth-10005 where Wade and Logan learn that Paradox has completed the Time Ripper.
Cassandra learns about Paradox’s plan from Pyro before executing him and travels to Earth-10005. She learns how to use the Time Ripper from Paradox’s mind and plans to destroy all timelines, leaving only the Void. Cassandra summons an army of Deadpool variants who kill Nicepool and battle Wade and Logan until Peter arrives and convinces them to relent. Paradox tells Wade and Logan that one of them could destroy the Time Ripper together, killing Cassandra in the process, and are able to survive by sharing the burden. Paradox is arrested by Hunter B-15 of the TVA, who reveals that the actions of Wade and Logan have saved Earth-10005 from deteriorating. Wade asks Hunter B-15 to save the resistance group from the Void and change the history of Logan’s world. She explains that the latter is not possible because Logan’s history is what led to him being a hero now. Later, Wade invites Logan to meet his friends. During a gathering that includes Laura and Dogpool, Logan encourages Wade to reconcile with Vanessa.
== Cast ==
*Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool
*Hugh Jackman as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine
*Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova
*Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle
*Rob Delaney as Peter Wisdom
*Leslie Uggams as Blind A.I.
*Aaron Stanford as John Allerdyce / Pyro
*Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox
*Karan Soni as Dopinder 
*Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead 
*Shioli Kutsana as Yukio 
*Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin / Colossus (voice)
*Randal Reeder as Buck 
*Lewis Tan as Rusty / Shatterstar 
*Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios 
*Dafne Keen as Laura Howlett / X-23 
*Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau / Gambit 
*Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade 
*Chris Evans as Johnny Storm / Human Torch 
*Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan 
*Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15
*Tyler Mane as Victor Creed / Sabretooth
*Aaron W. Reed as Cain Marko / Juggernaut
*Mike Waters as Frederick Dukes / Blob
*Billy Clements as the Russian
*Eduardo Gago Munoz as Azazel
*Jade Lye as Lady Deathstrike
*Ayesha Hussain as Psylocke
*Daniel Medina Ramos as Toad
*Curtis Small as Bullseye
*Chloe Kibble as Callisto
*Nilly Cetin as Quill
== Production ==
=== Development ===
After the success of Deadpool (2016), 20th Century Fox began developing two sequels. The third film was set to include the superhero team X-Force. Deadpool director Tim Miller chose not to return for the sequels due to creative differences with star Ryan Reynolds, and David Leitch was hired to direct Deadpool 2 (2018) in November 2016. Fox was looking for another filmmaker to develop the third film. In March 2017, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 co-writer Rhett Reese said X-Force would be introduced in Deadpool 2 before featuring in a planned spin-off film that would launch "something bigger", separate from the third Deadpool film which would "contract" and be more personal.
When the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced in December 2017, the Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Deadpool would be integrated with the PG-13 rated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and Disney was willing to make R-rated Deadpool films "as long as we let the audiences know what's coming". He added that a "Marvel-R brand" could be developed for characters like Deadpool. In May 2018, Reynolds said a third Deadpool film may not be made given the franchise's shift of focus to X-Force, but Reese and his writing partner Paul Wernick felt a third film would "absolutely" happen after Reynolds took a break from the character and the X-Force film was released. They compared this to the crossover film The Avengers (2012) being released between Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013). Leitch expressed interest in returning for another Deadpool film, depending on the "time and place". A third Deadpool film was believed to be in active development by August 2018, with production planned to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, rather than in Vancouver where the previous films were made. Once Upon a Deadpool, a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2, was released at the end of the year. It was watched carefully by Disney and Marvel Studios to see how it might inform their approach to the character in the PG-13 MCU. While promoting Once Upon a Deadpool, Reynolds confirmed that a third Deadpool film was in development, and said it would go in a "completely different direction"; Reynolds later revealed it was intended to be a road trip film styled after Rashomon (1950) and would have also featured Hugh Jackman's X-Men character James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine, while Jackman revealed he had previously envisioned Reynolds' idea for such a team-up film inspired by 48 Hrs. (1982) while attending a screening of Deadpool in 2016, despite formally retiring from the role at that time. In March 2019, Disney officially acquired Fox and gained the film rights to several Marvel Comics characters for Marvel Studios, including Deadpool. The Marvel-based films that Fox had been developing were placed "on hold".
Josh Brolin revealed in June 2019 that he had discussed his future as Cable with Marvel Studios several times, after starring as that character in Deadpool 2 while also portraying Thanos in the MCU. In October, Zazie Beetz said she would be surprised if she did not reprise her Deadpool 2 role of Domino in a future film. That month, Reese and Wernick said they and Reynolds were taking a "much needed rest from Deadpool" while they waited to hear from Marvel Studios about the future of the franchise. They confirmed that another Deadpool film would be made, that it would be R-rated like the previous films, and that it would integrate the character with the MCU. Wernick stated that there was never a set pitch for a third Deadpool film between their exhaustion following the completion of Deadpool 2 and the announcement of Fox's acquisition by Disney, with Reese adding that they now had to "land on the right idea and once we do, I think we'll be off to the races." The writers felt there would be more characters available in the MCU to act as foils for Deadpool compared to their restricted options among the characters that Fox had control over for the previous films. At that time, Reynolds revealed that he was meeting with Marvel Studios. In December, Reynolds confirmed that he and "the whole team" were actively developing a Deadpool film at Marvel Studios. Reynolds later revealed that he had urged Feige to include Wolverine in the film by then, although was told it "wasn't possible then".
Throughout October 2020, Reynolds and Marvel Studios met with potential writers for the next Deadpool film, with Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin hired to write the screenplay that November. Reynolds and Marvel Studios felt the writers' pitch was in-line with their own intentions for the film, which would remain R-rated. Reynolds and Marvel Studios were open to Leitch returning for the film, but he was not expected to due to other commitments throughout 2021 with his film Bullet Train (2022) and was not involved in hiring the writers. Leitch confirmed he had met with Marvel for the film, but both understood scheduling and other commitments would prevent him from returning. In January 2021, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reaffirmed that the film would have an R-rating and would be set in the MCU. Reynolds was supervising the scripting process at that time, and Feige said filming would not begin until after 2021 due to Reynolds' busy schedule. He called Deadpool "a very different type of character" to have in the MCU. That July, Reynolds and Taika Waititi promoted their film Free Guy (2021) by appearing as Deadpool and Waititi's MCU character Korg, respectively, in a commercial for that film titled Deadpool and Korg React. Deadpool discusses joining the MCU with Korg in the commercial. The next month, Reynolds said he expected filming to begin in 2022, which Feige soon confirmed. He said Marvel Studios had a release timeframe in mind for the film and indicated that Reynolds was also working on the script. In November, Beetz and Rob Delaney expressed interest in returning as their Deadpool 2 characters Domino and Peter for future films, while Reynolds said they were "plugging away" at the film.
Shawn Levy was revealed to be directing the film in March 2022, having previously directed Reynolds in Free Guy and The Adam Project (2022). Reese and Wernick were also hired to rewrite the screenplay. Levy said filming would not begin until after 2022 due to his busy schedule through the remainder of the year. Later that month, Reynolds confirmed that his production company Maximum Effort would co-produce the film. Reese and Wernick said in June that they were excited to use elements of the MCU as a backdrop for the film, and said that Disney and Marvel were supportive of the jokes about the MCU they were writing for Deadpool given the past success in the previous two films. When asked if they were working on a new script altogether or reworking the previous script by the Molyneux sisters, Reese and Wernick declined to confirm, noting that there was an "answer" but did not want to divulge plot details. Also at that time, Raymond Chan was revealed as the production designer, after previously working on the Marvel Studios series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Reese also said that the film would be a fish out of water story for Deadpool, in that he would be a lunatic dropped into the "very sane world" of the MCU. In July, Feige said the film would be elevated in a similar way to other third installments of MCU film series, such as Captain America: Civil War (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and said it was fun to be working with Reynolds.
=== Pre-production ===
In mid-August 2022, Jackman decided to commit to the third Deadpool film with Reynolds' idea while on a road trip, and he contacted Reynolds about joining the film as Wolverine at the same time that Reynolds was preparing to meet with Feige regarding it. Reynolds had continually entertained his team-up concept for the film with Jackman over the prior years. Reynolds announced in September that Jackman would return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3, along with the film's release date being set for September 6, 2024. Reynolds and Jackman soon clarified that the film would not interfere with the events of Logan (2017), in which the character dies, and instead would be "separate", and occur before Logan. Jackman said Logan's return would be the result of a narrative device Marvel Studios came up with that could be used to move around timelines, and would not interfere with the events of Logan, which was important to him; he also reached out to Logan director James Mangold to inform him the story for Deadpool 3 would not interfere with Logan.
Pre-production work had begun by October 2022, when filming was expected to begin in January 2023, before the release was pushed back to November 8, 2024 due to the delay of Blade (2025) to its former September slot. Jackman indicated that the film may not be titled Deadpool 3, which it was being referred to as at that point. Reynolds said in November that filming would begin just before mid-2023, while Collider reported filming was expected around that April. Reynolds referred to the film then as "The Deadpool/Wolverine film". Levy said the next month that developing the film was one of his "most fun creative experiences", citing the self-awareness, violence, and foul language. He revealed that filming was set to begin in May. Jackman later referred to the film as Wolverine and Deadpool. By February 2023, Patrick Stewart, who portrayed Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series and reprised the role in the MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), had been approached to potentially make an appearance in the film. Later that month, Emma Corrin joined the cast in an undisclosed lead villain role. Marvel had been considering Corrin for the role since late 2022, but had to work through scheduling issues with their other commitments before they signed on. Levy was revealed to be producing the film alongside Feige and Reynolds. Filming was then set to take place in London.
In March 2023, it was reported that the Time Variance Authority, Mobius M. Mobius (portrayed by Owen Wilson), and Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong), would be featured in the film. Later that month, Matthew Macfadyen joined the cast in an undisclosed role, which was described as being "a third wheel" to Deadpool and Wolverine, while Karan Soni and Leslie Uggams were revealed to be reprising their roles as Dopinder and Blind Al from the previous Deadpool films. Zeb Wells was co-writing the script by then, after previously serving as a writer for the MCU series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) and the film The Marvels (2023), as well as head writer for the series Marvel Zombies (2024). In early April, Morena Baccarin revealed that she had been asked to reprise her role as Vanessa and was in negotiations with Marvel Studios to do so. She was set to reprise her role later that month along with Stefan Kapičić returning to provide the voice of Colossus. The following month, Delaney was revealed to be reprising his role as Peter from Deadpool 2, when Reynolds and Levy were revealed to have also worked on the script. Later in May, Brianna Hildebrand and Shioli Kutsuna were revealed to be reprising their respective roles as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio.
Jackman wears a yellow and blue costume in the film similar to Wolverine's costumes from X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) and the comic books, specifically Astonishing X-Men volume 3 (2004–2013) drawn by John Cassaday; it also features elements of the character's design in the 1970s by John Romita Sr and Dave Cockrum and the 1990s design by Jim Lee. The costume department went through several iterations and fittings to ensure the Wolverine suit was comic book-accurate, which Levy wanted to incorporate as he was unaware if the character would be used in a later project. Jackman did not wear a comics-accurate costume in the X-Men film series but it was referenced in X-Men (2000) and a deleted scene from The Wolverine (2013). The costume was met with a positive reaction, and some commentators believed it indicated that Jackman was portraying a different iteration of the character from the X-Men films, such as a live-action adaptation of the animated series or comics versions. Reynolds has an updated costume from the previous Deadpool films as well, featuring a brighter shade of red and larger black circles on his mask. This is reminiscent of the character's comic book design during the 1990s. Levy was pleased with the "overwhelmingly positive" response to the suit designs being revealed, which was due to production occurring on location. Graham Churchyard and Mayes C. Rubeo serve as costume designers, after previously working on various MCU media.
=== Filming ===
Principal photography began on May 22, 2023, in London, and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, under the working title Tidal Wave, with George Richmond serving as the cinematographer. It was previously expected to begin in January 2023, and then around April 2023. Filming was not expected to be impacted by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike that began in early May 2023 – which had delayed starting dates for MCU films Blade and Thunderbolts (2024), which were both scheduled to film in the United States – outside of Reynolds being unable to contribute to the script during filming, as he had done during the previous two films, in compliance with the strike rules. Marvel Studios was reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the film's already scheduled reshoots. Levy worked with Marvel Studios and the creatives of the Netflix series Stranger Things (where Levy is an executive producer) to allow him to direct at least one episode of that series' final season, since he was aware that the planned schedule for Deadpool 3would overlap with production on Stranger Things before the latter was delayed due to the writers' strike.
In June, the film's release was moved forward to May 3, 2024. Filming for a car crash scene took place on location in London in early July 2023. Shortly after, Jennifer Garner was revealed to be appearing in the film as Elektra, after previously portrayed a version of the character in the Fox-produced films Daredevil (2003) and its spin-off Elektra (2005 film), though Garner denied her involvement in the film. Filming with Reynolds and Jackman also took place in Norfolk, and at Bovingdon Film Studios, with the production team filming on location rather than on a soundstage to have it feel grounded and real. One of these locations included a giant 20th Century Fox logo set piece. Production was suspended on July 14 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. 35 days of filming, which was halfway through production, were completed prior to the shutdown, with an additional 35 days left of principal photography. Filming was set to resume following the conclusion of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with Levy and Reynolds also able to edit what had already been shot and begin work on the special effects. Prior to the strike, Baccarin had completed filming all of her scenes, and Levy shot a sequence which he likened to the lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi (1983), inspiring the film's stunt team to look to that scene's blocking, tempo, and framing for the Deadpool 3 scene. Levy said the production did not prioritize filming scenes heavily featuring visual effects before the strike, and noted that some of the casting rumors surrounding the film were true while others were not, such as Taylor Swift making a cameo appearance as Dazzler. Disney paid to keep the film's sets intact during the strike.
Deadpool 3, along with other films mid-way through production at the start of the strikes, was said to be a top priority for the studios to resume production upon the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike. In October 2023, Levy questioned if the film would be able to retain its May 2024 release date given the SAG-AFTRA strike was still ongoing at that time, shortly before it was reported that, even if filming was able to resume by early 2024, the film would not meet the May 2024 release and was likely to be delayed to a release later in that year. Levy said the film was still untitled at that time as they were still discussing options for a title, noting he referred to it as Deadpool Versus Wolverine, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Deadpool 3 with Wolverine. After the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike on November 9, filming was expected to resume in London within the following two weeks before Thanksgiving. At that time, Reynolds announced that the character Dogpool would appear in the film, played by dog actor Peggy, while the film's release was pushed back to July 26, 2024. Filming resumed by November 23.
In early December, set photos revealed that the characters Sabretooth, resembling Tyler Mane who portrayed the character in X-Men, and Toad, based on his X-Men appearance, would appear. Reynolds commented shortly after about the set photo leaks, saying they created "a difficult situation for everyone" and was hopeful moving forward websites would not publish the unfinished, out-of-context leaked images to "preserve as much of that magic as possible for the finished film and the big screen". He noted that the franchise is associated with leaks, since the first film was able to be made following a leak of its original test footage, and proceeded to post faux leaked images featuring Mickey Mouse, Predator, and Steve Urkel, along with various hashtags to try to alter the social media algorithm around the actual leaked photos, since platforms prioritize posts "with interactions that come from high-profile accounts". At the end of December, Bona Film Group signed a deal with TSG Entertainment to invest in a slate of films, including the Deadpool franchise. In early January 2024, Variety reported that the film would include several characters from prior Fox-produced Marvel films, and that it was expected to have a similar approach to Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) with how that film featured multiple characters from past Spider-Man films. Set photos at the end of the month showed Reynolds portraying a "samurai-based" variant of Deadpool. Filming wrapped on January 24.
=== Post-production ===
The film's official title was announced as Deadpool & Wolverine in February 2024 when a teaser trailer was released. The trailer revealed that Macfadyen was portraying TVA agent Paradox, Randal Reeder and Lewis Tan were reprising their respective roles as Buck and Shatterstar from the previous Deadpool films, and Aaron Stanford was returning as John Allerdyce / Pyro from the X-Men films. The copyright filing for the film confirmed that Garner was appearing as Elektra and revealed Corrin's role to be Cassandra Nova. In March 2024, Vinnie Jones, who portrayed Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), said he was asked to reprise the role for the film, but a deal could not be agreed upon with Jones saying there was not enough budget to create the Juggernaut suit for him to wear on set. Juggernaut was subsequently confirmed to appear in the film.The first official trailer was released the following month and revealed that the creature Alioth from Loki was appearing in the film, along with the characters Lady Deathstrike and Azazel. The latter two resembled Kelly Hu and Jason Flemyng, who portrayed those respective characters in X2 and X-Men: First Class (2011).
At the end of April 2024, Levy said he was busy finishing work on the film. Early screenings of the film had taken place, which he described as "extremely, extremely promising", with the main changes coming from them being pacing adjustments. He added that despite the film's multiverse connections and use of elements from other projects, such as the TVA from Loki, he did not expect audiences to do homework before watching the film and intended for it to be an entertaining experience on its own. Post-production was completed on June 19, 2024. The next month, Jon Favreau was revealed to be reprising his MCU role as Happy Hogan in the film. Throughout the promotional tour for the Star Wars series The Acolyte in June 2024, Dafne Keen, who appeared as Laura / X-23 in Logan and starred as Jecki Lon in The Acolyte, stated she would not appear in the film, but was ultimately confirmed to have an appearance a month later with the film's final trailer. Keen called it a "great time" keeping her appearance a secret, and was inspired by how Andrew Garfield had similarly lied about his appearance in No Way Home ahead of that film's release. Shane Reid and Dean Zimmerman serve as editors for the film, while visual effects are provided by Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Wētā FX, Base FX, and Barnstorm VFX, with Swen Gillberg serving as the visual effects supervisor.
== Marketing ==
The film's first trailer was released on February 11, 2024, during the Super Bowl LVIII. Nick Romano from Entertainment Weekly said the trailer confirmed the film's R-rating and also that Deadpool would be "infiltrating" the MCU. Austin Goslin of Polygon also highlighted the use of MCU elements and questioned whether Reynolds was playing the same version of Deadpool as he did in the previous films, due to how happy he is at the start of the trailer. Wired's Angela Wattercutter noted a sexually explicit pegging joke in the trailer, stating it was the first time the MCU had overtly used such humor before and speculated that the film could expand upon "queer" themes established in the prior MCU Thor films and Loki series. The inclusion of the comic Secret Wars (2015) #5 in the trailer was the topic of much discussion, given Marvel Studios was planning to release the film Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) and the comic issue centered on Doctor Doom creating Battleworld. Shortly after the trailer's premiere, Jackman posted a tongue-in-cheek jab at Reynolds with a modified logo displaying "Wolverine & Asshole". The trailer had 365 million global views in its first 24 hours, surpassing the record of Spider-Man: No Way Home (355.5 million views) to become the most viewed trailer in that time period. The reported views included the 123 million Super Bowl viewers who saw a 30-second version of the trailer.
A "silence your phones" public service announcement with Deadpool and Wolverine opened Disney's presentation at CinemaCon in April 2024, during which Feige and Levy debuted nine minutes of exclusive footage from the film. The Hollywood Reporter felt this "drew the biggest laughter" of all the presentations at the convention. It included repurposed Avengers: Infinity War footage of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, who is mourning the death of Deadpool rather than Loki as seen in that film. Feige said the film would receive an "intentionally crude and lewd" popcorn bucket, inspired by the viral popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two (2024). A second trailer debuted on April 22, 2024, set to "Like a Prayer" by Madonna. An additional trailer released on May 20, announcing ticket pre-sales included a QR code that led to a video of Reynolds reading a disclaimer for the film. At the end of the month, a special popcorn bucket for the film's theatrical release was revealed, after Feige had said it would be "intentionally crude and lewd". This was inspired by the viral popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two (2024). The bucket is shaped like Wolverine's head with a "comically oversized" mouth for the popcorn or other snacks. A video reveal, set to the "Also sprach Zarathustra" fanfare which was famously used in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), shows Deadpool caressing the bucket as popcorn falls into its mouth and butter drips down its nose.
A teaser released in early June revealed that the character Lady Deadpool would appear in the film, prompting speculation about who played the role, while Reynolds appeared as Deadpool in a "typically irreverent video" at CineEurope later that month to introduce 12 minutes of footage from the film. The cast went on a global marketing tour for the film starting in early July. The stops included: Shanghai, where Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy attended a fan event to screen 35 minutes of the film to attendees; Seoul, where the actors appeared at the 2024 Waterbomb Festival; Berlin, where the trio were joined by Corrin and attended the UEFA Euro 2024 quarterfinals match between Netherlands and Turkey; London, where the four actors and Levy were joined by Delaney, dog actor Peggy, and Marvel Studios executives Louis D'Esposito and Wendy Jacobson. Additionally, United Kingdom music and entertainment retailer HMV temporarily altered their logo for featuring the dog Nipper at one of their stores to be Dogpool, timed to the event; and Rio de Janeiro, where they visited Maracanã Stadium. Deadpool and Wolverine appeared in an ad for The Bachelorette on July 8 during the season 21 premiere, to entice the Bachelor Nation audience (the 18–49 female demographic) to see the film. The ad was from Maximum Effort, Loon Productions, and Really Original, and was directed by Oren Brimer. Reynolds also posted on social media to discuss his thoughts on the premiere. On July 19, Deadpool and Wolverine appeared in a music video for the single "Chk Chk Boom" by the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, whose song "Slash" is included on the film's soundtrack. A panel will occur at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, the night of the film's release, to commemorate the film's opening, with Reynolds, Jackman, Levy, and Feige.
Marketing partners for the film included Reynolds's Aviation Gin, Heineken, DiGiorno, Jack in the Box, SuperX, Hot Topic, Homage, Heinz, Xbox, Adidas, and Casio. Funko and Hot Toys produced action figures of characters from the film, while Funko will also allow attendees at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con to be able to create personalized versions of their Funko Pop! figures modeled after Deadpool and Wolverine with various exclusives. Variant covers featuring production stills and promotional images from the film will be available on issues of Deadpool #3 in June 2024, Deadpool #4 and Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3 in July, and Deadpool #5, Deadpool Team-Up #1, and Wolverine: Revenge #1 in August.
== Release ==
Deadpool & Wolverine is scheduled to have its world premiere in New York City on July 22, 2024. The film is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on July 25, and then in the United States and China on July 26, in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD, and other premium formats. It was previously scheduled for September 6 of that year, November 8, and then May 3. It will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.
== Box office ==
Fandango announced that ticket pre-sales for the film were the best of 2024, the franchise's best, and the best for an R-rated film on the site, while AMC Theatres announced that 200,000 people bought first-day tickets at AMC, the most sales for any R-rated film at the theater chain. The Hollywood Reporter reported that first-day ticket sales were likely around $8–9 million and felt the film would debut at over $100 million, something no 2024 film release had done until the mid-June release of Inside Out 2 (2024), which opened at a domestic total of $154.2 million. The Quorum, which looks at box office projections for films as early as six weeks ahead of release, projected the film would open between $200–239 million. They said these were conservative projections and it was likely to open higher. Deadline Hollywood noted that no R-rated film had ever opened domestically over $200 million, with the record opening for an R-rated film being the first Deadpool with $132.4 million. Three weeks ahead of release, multiple tracking services projected the film would open between $160–165 million, which would still be a record opening for an R-rated film and the best opening for a 2024 release. Deadline Hollywood said Disney was expecting an opening in this range, and added that presale tickets was at $19 million. Quorum reaffirmed its projection of a $200+ million opening at that time.
== Videos ==
Deadpool & Wolverine - Official Teaser - In Theaters July 26
Deadpool & Wolverine - Trailer
Deadpool & Wolverine - Final Trailer
== External links ==
== References ==
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