The highest grossing R-rated debuts of all time include "The Passion of the Christ," "Joker," and all three of the "Deadpool" movies.
Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios
It's official: Moviegoers love Deadpool, and they paid up to see the latest sequel on its opening weekend.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" joined the previous two movies in Ryan Reynolds' superhero franchise on the list of the biggest R-rated movie debuts ever. The foul-mouthed Marvel character now holds the top three spots on this list, with the new movie sitting at No. 1.
Other R-rated titles that had huge opening weekends include the two "It" movies, "The Passion of the Christ," and "Joker." Here are the top 15, according to Box Office Mojo.
Universal
Opening weekend gross: $71.1 million
Following Jordan Peele's feature directing debut, "Get Out," which not only found huge acclaim but earned him a best original screenplay Oscar, Peele's follow-up was a must-see. And the box office proved that.
The movie would go on to earn over $250 million worldwide.
Lionsgate
Opening weekend gross: $73.8 million
The gripping finale of the franchise that introduced action movie fans to "gun-fu" has cemented Keanu Reeves' legacy as one of the modern-day kings of the genre movie.
Universal
Opening weekend gross: $76.2 million
After numerous attempted revamps of the classic horror franchise over the decades, Blumhouse finally hit the target. The "requel" took in over $259 million worldwide and led to a trilogy.
Universal Pictures
Opening weekend gross: $82.4 million
Christopher Nolan's epic look at the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer didn't just result in box-office glory, teaming with "Barbie" to birth Barbenheimer. It also led to seven Oscar wins, including best picture, best director for Nolan, and best actor for Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer.
20th Century Fox
Opening weekend gross: $83.8 million
Mel Gibson's unflinching look at the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ (played by Jim Caviezel) was something you could not escape when it opened in 2004. Whether praised or ridiculed, all the attention led to droves seeing it in theaters.
The movie, much of it self-financed by Gibson, went on to earn over $600 million worldwide.
Focus Features / Universal Pictures
Opening weekend gross: $85.1 million
Audiences also had to see for themselves the movie adaptation of E.L. James' hit erotic novel "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Warner Bros.
Opening weekend gross: $85.9 million
After "The Hangover" became a phenomenon in 2009, director Todd Phillips and stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis teamed up to make the sequel two years later.
Though nowhere near as good as the original, it made huge money ($586 million worldwide) and led to an even worse third movie.
Fox
Opening weekend gross: $88.4 million
Pegged as being a more dramatic and mature superhero movie with its R-rating, there was a big turnout for what was thought to be the final time Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine.
Warner Bros.
Opening weekend gross: $91 million
This sequel didn't open as big as its original. But when you scroll down to see what the first "It" made, you'll understand what a hard hill the second film had to climb.
Warner Bros.
Opening weekend gross: $91.7 million
Despite what you think of "Reloaded" today, were you really going to not see this movie after watching "The Matrix?"
The sequel's opening gross is a testament to how sensational "The Matrix" was. We couldn't wait to see what Neo would do next.
Warner Bros.
Opening weekend gross: $96.2 million
Todd Phillips is back on the list, and for a very different movie.
As with "Logan," Phillips went the mature route to tell the origin story of one of the most beloved villains in comic book history. It paid off in a huge way: "Joker" is the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever worldwide with over $1 billion.
Don't be shocked if "Joker: Folie à Deux" surpasses the opening weekend gross "Joker" did.
New Line Cinema
Opening weekend gross: $123.4 million
Now you know what I meant when I said "It Chapter 2" had a big hill to climb. To earn over $100 million at just the domestic box office on an opening weekend is wild.
But one trilogy pulled off this feat with every release…
Fox/Marvel
Opening weekend gross: $125.5 million
After the incredible success of the first "Deadpool," Ryan Reynolds returned with more action, comedy, and cameos in the sequel, leading to box-office glory. But it didn't quite edge out its predecessor.
20th Century Fox
Opening weekend gross: $132.4 million
This enormous number has been at the top of the list for eight years. It took the Merc with a Mouth teaming with a certain X-Men member to surpass it.
Disney/Marvel
Opening weekend gross: $211 million
The teaming of Deadpool and Wolverine caused something that Disney/Marvel hasn't experienced since "Avengers: Endgame": the return of the casual fan.
Everyone had to see these two on screen together, and it led to record-breaking box office.
Its $211 million opening isn't just the biggest ever for an R-rated movie. It's also the sixth-largest opening of all time for any film.
