The highest-grossing R-rated film of all time is now Disney's 'Deadpool & Wolverine'.

• ""Joker" has been surpassed by "Deadpool & Wolverine" as the highest-grossing R-rated title of all time."
• "Deadpool & Wolverine" has surpassed $1.085 billion worldwide with $516.8 million in domestic ticket sales and $568.8 million from international audiences.
• The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest film not only demonstrates its resilience at the box office following a string of recent disappointments but also implies that Marvel Studios can explore darker themes in the future without losing its audience.

The trio of Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Shawn Levy have successfully captured the essence of "Deadpool & Wolverine."

As of Thursday, the Marvel film has surpassed "Joker" as the highest-grossing R-rated title of all time.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" has surpassed $1.085 billion worldwide with $516.8 million in domestic ticket sales and $568.8 million from international audiences. Additionally, a sequel to "Joker" is set to be released in theaters this October.

The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest film not only demonstrates its resilience at the box office following a string of recent disappointments but also implies that Marvel Studios can explore darker themes in the future without losing its audience.

"Disney and Marvel have a lot of opportunities thanks to the success of their first R-rated film, according to Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory. The organic and necessary rating helped audiences and fans respond positively. They knew it wouldn't be a watered-down version of a formula that had already proven itself."

The previous Deadpool films were produced by 20th Century Fox and had R-ratings. With the character's transition to Disney ownership in 2019, there was uncertainty about whether the company would continue to embrace his fourth-wall-breaking crudeness or put him on hold while focusing on other Marvel projects.

In 2021, Marvel announced that the third Deadpool movie would maintain its R-rating, causing relief among the MCU fan community. Moreover, Marvel granted Reynolds and Levy permission to mock company executives, the franchise, and even use the popular "Frozen" line, "Do you want to build a snowman?" as a drug reference.

Robbins stated that Disney will likely be selective in choosing which future films they will distribute under the mature rating, as they must consider their large family audience, just like Marvel. However, this provides a framework for determining when and how it is appropriate to do so.

"The Marvels," the last film released by Disney, had the lowest opening and overall box office haul for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film ever, and "Deadpool & Wolverine" arrived in theaters in late July on the back of a string of hits and misses from the same franchise.

Marvel's upcoming slate of features has been met with renewed confidence, thanks to the exclusive footage shared at San Diego Comic-Con and Disney's D23 Expo.

Disney+ is now limiting the number of series it produces for Marvel, focusing more on big-screen projects. This move comes after Marvel produced nearly a dozen shows for the streaming platform, which flooded the market and caused some fan dissatisfaction.

In the next three years, Marvel will release six theatrical titles and three television series, including "Agatha All Along," "Ironheart," and "Daredevil: Born Again."

Marvel's superhero genre continues to be popular among both Comic Con and D23 audiences, as evidenced by their enthusiastic reactions to the latest announcements. This is good news for the MCU, which has generated over $30 billion in box office revenue since the release of "Iron Man" in 2008.