MCU surpasses $30b globally with 'Deadpool & Wolverine'

Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has made history by becoming the first film franchise to surpass USD 30 billion in worldwide box office earnings. This milestone was revealed by Marvel's Chief Kevin Feige during the Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con.

"Deadpool & Wolverine," the newest instalment in the expansive series, propelled the total earnings beyond the coveted milestone by raking in USD 96 million on its opening day in North America. This marks the highest-ever debut for an R-rated film and the sixth-highest opening day overall. It is expected to generate between USD 195 million and USD 205 million domestically, and approximately USD 380 million to USD 400 million worldwide by the end of Sunday.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is among the most productive film franchises ever, boasting 34 movies over 15 years. Since its beginning with 2008's "Iron Man", the comic book giant has consistently produced blockbusters, including "Avengers: Endgame" (USD 2.799 billion) and "Infinity War" (USD 2.05 billion), which are two of the highest-grossing films in history. 

Even recent underperformers like "Eternals" (USD 402 million), "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (USD 476 million), and "The Marvels" (USD 206 million) would be considered successes for most other studios. However, these films, with production costs of USD 200 million or more, ended up losing money for Disney during their theatrical runs.

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Other high-grossing franchises include Sony's "Spider-Man", which has earned USD 10.6 billion across 10 films; "Star Wars" with USD 10.3 billion across 11 films; "Harry Potter" with USD 9.6 billion across 11 films; and "James Bond" with USD 7.8 billion across 25 films. These franchises have a significant amount of work ahead of them if they aim to match the success of Marvel's costumed heroes.

Shawn Levy directed "Deadpool & Wolverine", bringing together Ryan Reynolds' witty mercenary and Hugh Jackman's tough mutant on a mission to save Deadpool's home universe. The ensemble cast also includes Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova, Matthew MacFadyen as Mr Paradox, Rob Delaney as Peter, and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al.