Deadpool Is Swimming in Cash After Slaying at the Box Office
An unexpected success, critics are crediting the box office win to the film's unconventional marketing strategies.
By Lindsay Friedman •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Always one for violence, Deadpool slaughtered at the box office this weekend.
Released Feb. 10 the movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds as the sarcastic, titular superhero, set a new record for February movie debuts after earning an estimated $47.5 million in ticket sales. By the end of Presidents' Day weekend, it had generated $150 million, according to Variety.
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The opening weekend slayed a number of records, including biggest R-rated opening weekend, biggest 20th Century Fox debut, biggest opening weekend for Ryan Reynolds, biggest R-rated comic book superhero movie ever and biggest X-Men debut ever, among others.
Alongside the appeal of the antihero’s raunchy humor, uncanny healing abilities and strength, critics are crediting the movie’s unconventional marketing strategies for its success.
At one point, Deadpool had a Tinder profile. And Reynold’s did more than his part when it came to promoting the film by tweeting in character and Instagramming teasers of the film, Wired reports. Even billboards were invigorated by the Deadpool marketing team, featuring nonsensical emojis in lieu of traditional movie star shots.
February 12th. There will be blood. Guns. F-bombs. And graphic, expertly lit French Unicorn sex. #deadpoolRatedR @deadpoolmovie #Aprilpools
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 1, 2015
Happy Holidays from the Wilsons! (Frustrated by the type size? Shoulda joined https://t.co/bxXVnAgN5X. #NoSympathy) pic.twitter.com/QZ76zsjbiB
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) December 20, 2015
In 32 days, let's cuddle like koala bears from hell. #deadpool pic.twitter.com/RFEsaGtaix
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 11, 2016
This just scratches the surface of Deadpool’s promotional efforts, many of which are too vulgar to be reprinted here.
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Even Ryan Reynolds can't help but admire the raunchy antihero, promoted on his own social media sites.
What better way to get into the Deadpool frame of mind than take a look at the script, annoted by the character himself? With posters and marketing strategies like this, fans with a sense of humor would know exactly what to expect. And obviously wanted more. In marketing efforts, officials took the chance to welcome new folks into the world of Deadpool online. Armed with an understanding of the character and others involved in the saga, fans would have all the more reason to check out the flick. A sponsored event with a big name is always a slam dunk in the world of marketing. Taking it one step further, Deadpool creators found a new way to get the comic book star into everyday converstations.
