Deadpool & Wolverine opens at the end of the week, and since I just nailed a box office prediction with Twisters, I’ll try again with this one. Deadpool is tracking for a $160 million opening weekend, but once again I think that’s low, and it will go upwards of $200 million. 

 

This is the Marvel mashup nerds have been waiting for, they’ll put aside their talk of fatigue and “the MCU sucks now” and revel in what Ryan Reynolds et al are serving, which is basically everything fans have waited years, in some cases even decades, to see. But more on that later this week, when I review the movie properly.

 

For now, let’s look at everyone who turned up for the New York premiere. Blake Lively attended with Gigi Hadid, they theme-dressed in red and yellow, Deadpool and Wolverine’s colors. It’s cute. And Blake has given up pretending she’s not in the movie. I’m fine with them blowing this cameo. There are way, way, WAY better ones. (Lainey: not Sarah with the teasing, you minx!) 

Besides Blake and Gigi’s girls’ night, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman continued their joined-at-the-hip promotion for the film, and Emma Corrin continues serving c-nt like it’s their job. Morena Baccarin also turned up with Ben McKenzie, and Matthew Macfadyen was there with his wife, Keeley Hawes. Power couples all around! There was also director Shawn Levy, and Peggy the Dog, plus Avril Lavigne and *NSYNC minus Justin Timberlake (so I guess just *SYNC). Madonna isn’t the only musician with a standout moment on the soundtrack. 

 

But Ryan and Hugh aren’t done yet. Comic-Con starts this week, and Thursday night Marvel will be in Hall H for a Deadpool panel with Ryan, Hugh, Shawn Levy, and Kevin Feige. I am VERY interested to see how the Comic-Con crowd greets them, especially Ryan and Hugh, because Deadpool & Wolverine is basically Fan Service: The Movie and yet it’s…good? I’m still processing, and it’s a LOT, but as Kevin Feige insists, there actually is a beating heart underneath Deadpool’s motormouth humor and violence. Deadpool has always been Ryan Reynolds’ baby, and in his third outing as the title character, he manages to push all the right buttons. Now we just have to see how it goes over, and if Deadpool & Wolverine makes some of the money, or all of the money.