The silver-screen saga of Deadpool & Wolverine captivated audiences in its opening weekend, ruling the box office like a peacock in a henhouse. The third film in the franchise pulled in a staggering $483.3 million worldwide in its first weekend – a feat that Spider-Man: No Way Home admittedly accomplished last year, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

Fast-forward to the second weekend and the dynamic duo weren’t ready to hang up their boots. The Marvel Studios film took in an additional $97 million stateside, raising its worldwide total to a mind-boggling $824 million. Perhaps even more laudable is its Tuesday and Wednesday takings securing it the title of ‘the highest R-rated earner.’ It triumphed over Logan’s lifetime box office earnings – an accomplishment akin to winning a game of Twister against an octopus.

Nipping at Hatchet’s Heels

On the international playground, Deadpool & Wolverine raked in $110.5 million. According to the good people over at The Hollywood Reporter, this ensures that the grasp on the billion-dollar trophy is but mere days away. And let’s not forget, we are still on the second lap of this race. Just for kicks, a billion smackers will also place it above the Joker in the hall of fame of R-rated earners. The Joker stole the crown from the first Deadpool in 2019, but it seems like the franchise is primed to snatch it back.

Heavyweights aside, the remaining contenders for box office glory garnered mixed results. The weekend’s runner-up silverware went to Twisters, trapping a pretty $22.7 million domestically in its third weekend outing—no mean feat. ‘Trap,’ a new M. Night Shyamalan thriller featuring Hollywood eye-candy Josh Hartnett, haunted third place. Managing to meet Warner Bros. expectations, its domestic total clocked in at $15.6 million, making it a worthy contender, albeit not a very frightening one.

The Envelope Please

On the animation front, Despicable Me 4 missed the podium but brought its domestic total to a respectable $300 million. Inside Out 2 wasn’t too far behind, placing fifth and managing to total a not-too-shabby $1.55 billion. Not to be completely outdone, the film did reach a significant milestone earlier this week, entering the all-time top ten-grossing films list. Quite the accomplishment for animated emotions, wouldn’t you say?

Last but certainly not least, Sony’s Harold and the Purple Crayon managed to squeeze into the top six, hauling in a humble $6 million. All things considered, it was like bringing a crayon to a blaster fight.

“In the Land of Sequels and Franchise Giants…”

Amidst this box office battle royale, we managed a quick chat with M. Night Shyamalan. The director opened up about the challenge of releasing his movies, terming them as ‘Rare Birds,’ amidst the cacophony of franchise giants. But hey, what’s a little added suspense to a Shyamalan opening, right?

He expressed the struggle in capturing the viewer’s attention amidst a sea of sequels and threequels, likening it to trying to remember an interesting trailer you saw three weeks ago. Despite the hurdles, Shyamalan is laden with hope, evoking the tenacity and passion commonly expected from a director. As he quite pointedly puts it, "It’s just my thing to make original movies, and I hope there’s always a place for us."

Stay tuned for more pages from the box office chronicle, folks.