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Deadpool 2 Has a Record Breaking Opening Day

Superhero movies are sort of a big deal, you may have heard. They just keep getting bigger, crazier, and more even more fun. Deadpool 2 took a winning formula from the first film and ramped it up, big time, to a massive opening weekend, smashing a few records in the mouth on the way. Andy Muschietti’s It opened last fall to a whopping $50.4 million— Deadpool 2 slid past with $53.3 million this past weekend, making it the biggest R-rated opening ever.

In the outlandish sequel, the leader of the B-squad of X-Men releases a relentless assault of vulgar comedy along with a surprising amount of heart. Both critics and fans praised the third Marvel release of the year. The story runs the line of irreverent and meaningful on the razor thin edge of a machete. “Seriously subversive, seriously funny, seriously profane, occasionally even serious, Deadpool 2 is the best kind of cinematic entertainment. Seriously,” Bruce Demara at the Toronto Star raved.

It’s an impressive brand of humor that relies on knowing just when to pull back, which isn’t very often. The sequel added a barrage of fabulous new characters, including Domino (Zazie Beetz), Cable (Josh Brolin), and Russell (Julian Dennison). Russell, the young Firefist, plays a central role in the story arc. Wade’s (Ryan Reynolds) interaction with the young boy is a surprising addition to the immensely adult content of the film.

Director David Leitch breaks down one of the pivotal scenes between the X-Force and Russell in a short video for the New York Times. Leitch explains how the script by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds created what sounds like improvised dialogue. There are also so many moving parts in these scenes that they had to be carefully blocked out. Lastly, the highly stylized franchise is heavily reliant on special effects, and Leitch explains how all the pieces fit together. The explanation gives us a glimpse at the acrobatic juggling act the filmmakers did to meld the ever-changing tone of the film.

Deadpool 2 is in theaters now.

Featured Image: Ryan Reynolds stars as Deadpool in Twentieth Century Fox’s DEADPOOL 2. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelle Long

Kelle has written about film and TV for The Credits since 2016. Follow her on Twitter @molaitdc for interviews with really cool film and TV artists and only occasional outbursts about Broadway, tennis, and country music. Please no talking or texting during the movie. Unless it is a musical, then sing along loudly.

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