As of this writing, Deadpool & Wolverine has earned $1.214 billion at the global box office. That figure will continue to go up with each week the film stays in theaters. I imagine Marvel and Disney want to keep Deadpool 3 in theaters for as long as possible.
Like every other MCU release, Deadpool & Wolverine will then head to streaming on Disney Plus, the home of all Marvel movies, Deadpool franchise included. But considering the massive success of the sequel and Marvel’s continued marketing efforts to promote the film, I wouldn’t expect Deadpool & Wolverine to hit the streaming service anytime soon.
In the earlier days of Disney Plus, before Bob Iger returned to lead Disney, Marvel movies would get a rather limited theatrical window. The rule we kept hearing of was that Disney gave its MCU movies around 45 days to perform in cinemas.
After that, the title would hit the streaming service. It wasn’t a fixed deadline. But we would expect to see new Marvel movies land on Disney Plus about two months after their theatrical debut.
Mind you, this rule emerged during the ongoing pandemic. Health measures eased over the years, but people took their time to return to theaters. I know I did. Disney must have thought at the time that it would be more lucrative to bring an MCU movie to its streaming service once ticket sales plummeted.
Aside from Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is a Sony movie part of the MCU, no Marvel Studios movie topped $1 billion at the box office since Avengers: Endgame. That’s because most of them didn’t really deserve it, not even after we started going to the theater more often.
Deadpool & Wolverine is a return to form for Marvel, so its win at the box office is well deserved. I always said that Deadpool 3 would probably top $1 billion, even if the story were bad. That’s how much we wanted to see Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) in the MCU. The same goes for Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).
Luckily, Deadpool 3 is an amazing movie, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for going to see it again. I know I did. I also can’t wait to stream it on Disney Plus, where I can control playback.
Disney has not announced the Deadpool & Wolverine streaming release date. But The Direct looked at Disney Plus premiere dates for all the other Multiverse Saga movies released so far, trying to guess when Deadpool & Wolverine will be available on the service.
Since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disney brought its MCU movies to Disney Plus around three months after their theatrical release. This would give Deadpool 3 a premiere date around October 23rd.
However, if Disney decides to keep Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters longer, we could see a November or December Disney Plus release date. There is precedent from competitors. Last year’s Barbie streamed on Max 147 days after its July 21st opening because of its amazing theatrical performance, giving the movie a December 15th Max premiere date.
Also, let’s not forget that Deadpool 3 is the only MCU movie of the year. That might be another reason to have the film in cinemas longer than usual.
Finally, there’s the online release. Deadpool & Wolverine will hit Premium Video on Demand (PVOD) digital platforms before Disney Plus once its theatrical run is over.
