In a fierce battle at the box office, both Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively emerged victorious over the weekend. Reynolds’ Marvel Studios hit “Deadpool & Wolverine” retained its top spot in North American theaters for the third consecutive week, raking in $54.2 million in ticket sales. The film has now crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide. Lively’s romance drama “It Ends With Us” surprised everyone with an impressive $50 million debut, closely following Reynolds’ success.
The duo’s success at the box office drew comparisons to the 1990 scenario when Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard 2” and Demi Moore’s “Ghost” led the box office rankings. The diverse genres of the films seemed to complement each other, akin to a modern-day version of a box office phenomenon.
Eli Roth’s long-delayed and expensive $120 million video game adaptation, “Borderlands,” starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, had a disappointing opening with only $8.8 million in ticket sales for Lionsgate. Despite its star-studded cast, the film received poor reviews and is anticipated to be a contender for one of the worst movies of the year.
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” featuring Hugh Jackman alongside Reynolds, continued its impressive run at the box office under the direction of Shawn Levy. The R-rated movie has now entered the $1 billion club, following in the footsteps of 2019’s “Joker.” Lively, who also had a role in the film, shone in her own production “It Ends With Us,” adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling romance novel. The movie, with a production budget of $25 million, is poised to be a profitable venture for Columbia Pictures and Wayfarer Studios.
Reynolds and Lively cleverly capitalized on the overlap of their films, with Reynolds engaging in promotional activities that benefited Lively’s movie, which exceeded early weekend forecasts. Additionally, Neon’s horror film “Cuckoo,” directed by Tilman Singer and featuring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, opened with $3 million in ticket sales across 1,503 screens.
