‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Stays No. 1 With $54M, ‘It Ends With Us’ Soars to Huge $50M

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have orchestrated their own cinematic phenomenon, reminiscent of the Barbenheimer effect, with two distinct films—Deadpool & Wolverine and It Ends With Us—making waves at the box office.

Marvel Studios and Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine crossed the $1 billion milestone globally on Saturday, maintaining its dominance in North America with a $54.2 million haul in its third weekend. The blockbuster, which has shattered numerous records, ended Sunday with an estimated domestic gross of $494.3 million and $535.2 million from international markets, amassing a worldwide total of $1.029 billion.

This triumph is monumental for Marvel, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing. The film is poised to surpass Warner Bros.’ Joker as the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time on the global stage—a title it already holds domestically.

Meanwhile, Sony’s It Ends With Us, headlined and produced by Lively, made a robust debut with an estimated $50 million, far exceeding expectations. The film, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, had been projected to open with $23 million, though presale numbers hinted at a stronger performance, around $40 million. The film’s success, bolstered by an A-CinemaScore and a 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, underscores a strong demand for female-centric stories.

Together, these films represent a significant victory for the August box office, with domestic revenue anticipated to be 35 percent higher than the same weekend last year and 19 percent ahead of 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. Notably, this marks the first time that two consecutive August releases have each opened to $50 million or more.

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The audience for It Ends With Us is predominantly female, accounting for 84 percent of ticket buyers across all adult age groups. Sixty percent are between the ages of 18 and 34, with 33 percent aged 35 and older. The film also appeals to a diverse audience demographically.

In It Ends With Us, Lively portrays Lily Bloom, a woman who overcomes a troubled childhood to pursue her dreams in Boston. Her chance encounter with Ryle Kincaid, a charismatic neurosurgeon played by Justin Baldoni, sparks a deep connection. However, as their relationship deepens, Lily begins to see unsettling parallels with her parents’ relationship. The return of her first love, Atlas Corrigan (played by Brandon Sklenar), complicates matters further, forcing Lily to rely on her own strength to make a difficult decision about her future.

This film marks the first big-screen adaptation of Hoover’s work, directed by Baldoni with a modest production budget of $25 million, excluding marketing costs.

Though some have framed the simultaneous release of Reynolds and Lively’s films as a rivalry, insiders reveal the contrary. Reynolds, a marketing genius, and Lively aimed to create a Barbenheimer-like buzz, where both films would capture public attention simultaneously.

The couple has actively supported each other’s projects, and it may not be entirely coincidental that their films were released so closely together. Originally scheduled for a June 21 release, It Ends With Us was postponed to August 9, likely influenced by Lively in her role as producer.

Earlier this week, Reynolds shared a humorous Instagram video featuring himself, his mother Tammy Reynolds, and Deadpool & Wolverine co-star Hugh Jackman interrogating Sklenar during a press event for Lively’s film. Jackman and Reynolds, close friends, also accompanied Lively on the pink carpet at the world premiere of It Ends With Us on Tuesday.

The last time a married couple topped the domestic box office with their respective films was 34 years ago, in 1990, when Bruce Willis’ Die Hard 2 led the chart in its second weekend with $14.5 million, followed by Demi Moore’s Ghost, which opened with $12.2 million.

This weekend’s other new nationwide release, Lionsgate’s high-budget Borderlands, stumbled out of the gate with an $8.8 million opening. Despite a star-studded cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, and Florian Munteanu, the film, directed by Eli Roth, was widely panned by critics and audiences alike, receiving a D+ Cinema Score. Lionsgate insiders note that the studio’s financial losses will be mitigated by the sale of international rights.