Deadpool & Wolverine Looks To Be The Lowest Rated Deadpool Yet

Reviews for "Deadpool & Wolverine" are coming in quickly as the film's premiere date quickly approaches. While most of them point to a strong performance for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's only big-screen release for 2024, it's worth noting that the movie's critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes doesn't quite reach the heights of the two films that came before it.

At the time of writing, "Deadpool & Wolverine" boasts a 79% critic rating, which falls short of the 85% and 84% scores garnered by "Deadpool" in 2016 and "Deadpool 2" in 2018. That's not bad at all, but probably not what one would expect from a movie that many believe could make or break the MCU. The film, after all, marks the MCU debuts of the film's titular characters, respectively played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, and its R-rating opens up new possibilities for a franchise that had long toed the family-friendly line for Disney.

Time will tell if "Deadpool & Wolverine" makes up for the comparatively lukewarm box-office figures generated by recent projects like "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and (especially) "The Marvels." But while critics have been saying a lot of nice things about the film ahead of its debut in theaters, some have pointed out quite clearly that it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

A look at some of the more prominent early reviews for "Deadpool & Wolverine" paints the picture of a film that could be the shot in the arm the MCU has needed for some time. "A wildly entertaining crowdpleaser full of humor and heart, and a glorious return to form for the MCU that builds on the Marvel legacy while breaking new ground," Discussing Film's Diego Andaluz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It's the must-see blockbuster of the summer." Nick Schager of The Daily Beast had similar sentiments about "Deadpool & Wolverine" potentially reenergizing the MCU, though he acknowledged that it might not be for those who aren't up to speed on their Marvel lore ... or those who simply dislike Deadpool and his irreverent brand of humor.

Indeed, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is packed with fan service for longtime MCU aficionados, and has no shortage of snappy pop culture references and inside jokes. However, Schager wasn't the only reviewer who suggested that the movie might not have much appeal to the casual crowd. In a two-star review for the Los Angeles Times, Katie Walsh wrote that the film doesn't offer much substance or depth due to its focus on Marvel fan service and internet culture and what she felt was a lack of plot and thin characterization. "While it will likely amuse its target audience of geeks and the terminally online, 'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a whole lot of hot air and not much else," she wrote. 

Despite how it isn't as highly rated as its predecessors, and even with all those concerns about copious fan service in mind, "Deadpool & Wolverine" still looks to be on track to become a huge summer hit. Forecasts suggest that the movie could make about $160 million to $170 million from North American theaters in its first weekend. That would allow it to hit two birds with one stone, garnering the biggest opening weekend ever for an R-rated film (the original "Deadpool" holds the current record at $132 million) while also surpassing "Inside Out 2" as the most lucrative debut of 2024 thus far. 

Furthermore, such an opening weekend would allow "Deadpool & Wolverine" to practically double the domestic earnings of the MCU's last movie release, "The Marvels," which spectacularly bombed at the box office and further triggered discourse about superhero fatigue and concerns about the MCU having seen better days. So with those projections in mind, fans shouldn't be too concerned about "Deadpool & Wolverine" underperforming in theaters just because it hasn't impressed critics as much as the Merc with a Mouth's first two big-screen forays.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" premieres on Friday, July 26.