Deadpool arrived just in time to change superhero movies forever

Altogether, Deadpool pulled in $782 million, made even more spectacular by the fact that 20th Century Fox had only spent $58 million on the film. The stunning haul defied the conventional wisdom Hollywood had followed for years: that an R-rated superhero movie would have limited appeal. Instead, Deadpool was a massive success and it signaled near-immediate change in the business of superhero movies. Fox announced a sequel just a couple of months later, and Logan, already in production, was quickly confirmed to be R-rated. The ramifications of Deadpool’s surprise success can still be felt today: Deadpool & Wolverine (also R-Rated) was the second biggest movie of 2024 with a $1.3 billion box office return.