Deadpool 2 easily won the box office during its opening weekend, scoring one of the biggest R-rated debuts in movie history. Expectations were high for the sequel, particularly after the 2016 original became a surprise critical and commercial smash. Fortunately, it looks like Deadpool 2 has delivered on all fronts. After earning the Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film then went to work rewriting the record books, setting new all-time marks for its Thursday night previews and opening day. There was no question it was set for a massive haul.

Just how big those numbers got, however, was open for debate. Early projections for Deadpool 2 were all over the place, with estimates predicting anything between $100 million and $150 million during its first three days. Fittingly, the comic book movie ended up right in between those two figures as it got off to a strong start.

Per Box Office Mojo, Deadpool 2 grossed $125 million this weekend, which is the second-highest opening for an R-rated movie in the U.S. The only movie the sequel trails, of course, is the first Deadpool, which earned $132 million in its first frame. And even though Deadpool 2's budget was nearly double its predecessor's ($110 million vs. $58 million), the film is still in sound financial shape. Thanks to a global opening of $301 million, Deadpool 2 has already turned a minor profit for Fox and can now spend the rest of its run padding totals.

Deadpool 2 Raining Bullets

Reception probably isn't the culprit for the lower opening weekend (Deadpool 2 earned an "A" CinemaScore). We can most likely blame competition. Whereas the first Deadpool ran unopposed during the February doldrums, the sequel arrived just a few weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, which continues to do decent business. Obviously, Wade Wilson took away several viewers from Earth's Mightiest this weekend, but the MCU phenomenon still grossed $28.6 million and came in second place, raising its domestic total to $595 million. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out when Solo: A Star Wars Story crowds theaters even more this week. The spinoff is projected to break some records of its own, but there's only so much money to go around.

Rounding out the top five this weekend were new comedy Book Club ($12.5 million), Life of the Party ($7.7 million), and Breaking In ($6.4 million). All three played as counter-programming to the major Hollywood tentpoles, doing the best they could to appeal to their respective niches in the shadow of superhero blockbusters.

MORE: Every Wolverine & Hugh Jackman Reference In Deadpool 2

Source: Box Office Mojo

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