Breaks R-Rated Box Office Monday Record with $21M+, Boosted by $135M Campaign

EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Studios’ badass duo continue to rake in money for what’s shaping up to be a $21.5M+ Monday at the domestic box office, if not more, according to sources tonight.

At that level, Deadpool & Wolverine easily ranks as the best Monday ever for a R-rated movie, beating the Monday of 2016’s Deadpool which was a Presidents Day holiday, that pic earning $19.7M.

Among all Mondays in July, right now D&W is shaping up as the fourth best after
Spider-Man 2 ($27.6M, July 5, 2004), Barbie ($26.1M, July 24, 2023) and The Dark Knight ($24.4M, July 21, 2008). Tuesday is bound to be a bountiful day as well for D&W . Last year on its Tuesday, Barbie grossed another $26M.

In addition, we can tell you that the promotional partner campaign for Deadpool & Wolverine was worth $135M in media value, which was more than what Disney racked up for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , and more than the first and second Deadpool promo partner spend combined. That’s a lot, particularly when you factor that Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t have an automobile partner (which, by the way, aren’t common for R-rated movies).

The promo partner campaign was spearheaded by Disney SVP of Marketing, Ryan Stankevich, and the studio’s EVP of Marketing Partnerships & Special Events, Lylle Breier, with support from Ryan Reynolds’ studio and digital marketing agency Maximum Effort. The angle? Assemble a list of partners who can sell Deadpool & Wolverine ‘s irreverent tone and subversive heart. Of the campaigns that Maximum Effort worked on were Adidas, Aviation American Gin, Dave & Busters, Heineken, Jack in the Box, and Heinz.

Marvel reteamed with Adidas , the athletic shoe company churning out the first
Deadpool -line comprised of Adidas Originals and performance product inspired by and featured in the movie. The collection is available to buy in select markets from Aug. 1. Of note in the footwear is the color blocking and distinct detailing of the Deadpool and Wolverine characters, including tongue-and-cheek jokes on sock liners, censored language characters, and storage pouches—a nod to the excessive amount of pouches the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ keeps on his suit. There were activations on TikTok featuring an exclusive “ShoePool” character which is a shoe variant of Deadpool.

For the first time ever, Reynolds’ Aviation American Gin teamed with a major motion picture, and released a limited edition series of seven bottles with designs inspired by Deadpool & Wolverine . The film and gin were splashed at 1,500 in-store retail displays. There was also a push at bars, restaurants, theaters and special events with themed cocktails. Reynolds updated his ‘The Vasectomy’ cocktail timed to Father’s Day in what was a streaming, digital and social media paid media support push.

In celebration of Dogpool, who steals the film, Disney teamed with Best Friends Animal Society making it the pic’s official nonprofit partner. To celebrate best friends and four-legged heroes, a PSA ran via donated media across broadcast networks and print media, which delivered 2M+ views in 48 hours. There were also local on-air segments highlighting Dogpool and pet adoptions across major markets.

Deadpool & Wolverine were emblazoned on 70M Coca-Cola cans and bottles. Here’s a spot:

At Dave & Busters , there was a film-wrapped claw machine which was filled with movie swag, i.e. the Best Friends key chain.

Digiorno was a premiere sponsor with four limited edition pizza flavors on display and available at Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

The biggest search engine in the world Google launched a first-of-its-kind easter eggs via its “circle to search” gesture on Android devices globally, surprising fans who gesture-search Deadpool, Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman, with custom animations. The partnership was promoted via a custom video online and in-store at 7K T-Mobile locations and on 650K OOH screens.

Heineken was a big sponsor with the U.S. campaign getting global extensions in international markets including Mexico, China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Bahamas and South Africa with paid media and retail support.

Playing off the red and yellow pairing of Deadpool and Wolverine was Heinz ketchup and mustard. There was an audacious ad which was part of a US campaign with extensions in Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica. There was also support via billboards, bus shelter displays, in-store POS and paid digital/social.

Jack in the Box served up a limited time menu at 2K locations inspired by Deadpool’s favorite snack: chimichangas. Also on the menu were spicy chicken strips and waffle sticks. There was point of sale signage, a themed Coca-Cola Freestyle flavor (Mini Chimi Chaser) and a Jackpool gift-with-purchase antenna ball heads. At San Diego Comic-Con, fans got the chance to experience a complete store takeover, saw wrapped trolleys. There was also a Blind Al blind pack giveaways featuring comic and film art inspired by the character.

Old Spice had a custom spot featuring Deadpool’s roommate Blind Al (who can certainly still smell). The ad was accompanied by retail support at Walgreens (2K+ stores), Kroger (1.5K stories) and paid media.

Xbox was not only a premiere sponsor spanning 14 countries, but was also the exclusive livestream Twitch partner as well. The videogame console made “cheeky controllers” which featured custom backside molds inspired by Deadpool and Wolverine’s derrieres. There was also a Deadpool suit-wrapped Series X consoles with Katanas. Outdoor ads for this were plastered in Times Square and in Wolverine’s canonical hometown of Alberta, Canada. The company was also another one of the pic’s Comic-Con sponsors and hosted a cosplay meetup, showcasing new in-game Fortnite Deadpool assets.