While Deadpool’s absolutely massive $135 million opening weekend is the biggest-ever for a rated-R movie, one of the biggest superhero debuts ever, and is sure to spawn a new successful sub-franchise for the X-Men movies, James Gunn has taken to a rant about the movie.
Not the movie itself, mind you, but about the way that the movie might be influential for blockbuster movies going forward. Everyone was pleasantly surprised that an R-rated movie could open over President’s Day weekend to such big numbers when most PG-13 blockbusters can’t open that big during the summer, but James Gunn doesn’t think that movie executives are going to take away the correct lessons about its success.
His rant, which can be read on Facebook, starts by discussing a Hollywood executive that said this about Deadpool’s success:
“The film has a self-deprecating tone that’s riotous. It’s never been done before. It’s poking fun at Marvel. That label takes itself so seriously, can you imagine them making fun of themselves in a movie? They’d rather stab themselves.“
James Gunn takes huge issue with this, saying that people said the exact same thing about his own movie Guardians of the Galaxy. And Ant-Man. And Iron Man.
He thinks that the smell of money is going to end up blinding the executives:
“So, over the next few months, if you pay attention to the trades, you’ll see Hollywood misunderstanding the lesson they should be learning with Deadpool. They’ll be green lighting films “like Deadpool” – but, by that, they won’t mean “good and original” but “a raunchy superhero film” or “it breaks the fourth wall.” They’ll treat you like you’re stupid, which is the one thing Deadpool didn’t do.”
With movies like X-Force and Venom, among many others, rumored to be in production and aiming for R ratings, do you think that James Gunn has a point? Or will Deadpool usher in a new age of adult-skewing films that will take blockbusters to new creative heights?
Sound off in the comment section below!