After years of lingering in development hell, Deadpool finally opened in theaters this past February to critical and commercial acclaim. It hasn’t even been three full months since it arrived, but fans can already own it for themselves. Wade Wilson’s solo adventure was released on Digital HD last week, and now its already sold digital copies faster than any other superhero movie.
As reported by The Wrap, Deadpool sold over 1 million units in its first week, which also makes it 20th Century Fox’s best-performing digital title. In comparison, it took Matt Damon’s The Martian three weeks to reach that same total. Platforms where you can buy your own copy of Deadpool include iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox and more. The movie hauled in over $760 million in theaters, and the digital sales just boost that number of even further, and in record breaking time, too. It’s quite a feat for a movie that only a couple years before didn’t stand much of a chance being made. Of course, we haven’t even reached the halfway point of 2016, and with other superhero movies like Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad and even fellow Fox entry X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool could face some serious competition for that superhero movie digital record.
Wade Wilson made his cinematic debuting 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but aside from a brief five minutes of him making humorous comments around his teammates, he wasn’t a faithful version of the character, instead becoming the derided Weapon XI. Although a Deadpool movie was announced soon after, it remained in stasis for years after, and it was only in 2014, after animated test footage leaked online drew praise from fans, that 20th Century Fox finally put the movie into production. Almost two years later, here we are, with Deadpool having performed excellently among hardcore comic book fans and regular viewers. It wasn’t the first R-rated comic book movie, but it’s without a doubt the most successful one.
Starring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, Deadpool followed the Merc with the Mouth seeking revenge against Ajax, the man who both awakened his mutant ability and disfigured him, as well as later kidnapped his girlfriend, Vanessa. The movie’s other players included, Weasel, Angel Dust, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus. Deadpool 2 has already officially green-lit, with Ryan Reynolds, director Tim Miller and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick returning. Plot details for the sequel are scarce, but it will introduce Deadpool’s straight-laced partner from the comics, Cable, and is also reportedly including Domino.
You can purchase the Digital HD version of Deadpool right now should you choose, but if you’re set on buying the Blu-ray and/or DVD, those will finally hit shelves next Tuesday.
