San Diego — SAN DIEGO (AP) — “Deadpool & “The Wolverine” has arrived, and Marvel fans at Comic-Con are ready to celebrate the only superhero movie of the summer.
The massive convention celebrating all things pop culture kicked off Wednesday with a panel celebrating the release of “Deadpool.” & The main attraction on Thursday is “Wolverine,” and many fans dressed up as characters from the film during the convention’s preview night.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who play the titular superheroes, joined Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige along with director Shawn Levy in the San Diego Convention Center’s famed Hall H on Thursday. To prevent fans from lining up all day to grab a seat, organizers created a lottery system that gave people a chance to win tickets. The venue can accommodate about 6,000 people, and everyone who entered got a screening of “Deadpool.” & wolverene.”
“Deadpool & “Wolverine” marks the first appearance of Reynolds and Jackman’s characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the subject of several jokes throughout the trailer. Both Deadpool and Wolverine have previously appeared in films under the 21st Century Fox banner.
The film comes at a time when there’s a growing conversation about a general “superhero fatigue”—the waning enthusiasm among audiences for superhero movies in the MCU and beyond. Part of that fatigue stems from the feeling that understanding superhero movies today requires background research on the characters and the lore of the comics, and requires a lot of watching and reading.
Levy told The Associated Press in April that he wanted to make sure his film didn’t require such a high level of preparation.
“I was a good student in school. Even as an adult, I still do my homework. But when I go to the movies, I don’t want to do my homework,” Levy said.
“I definitely felt a healthy respect and appreciation for this character and the rabid fan base that has the utmost fluency in the mythology and lore of this world when I was making this film. But I didn’t want to assume that. This film is made to entertain, and there’s no obligation to do any research beforehand.”
Marvel is desperate for a hit after the box office failures of The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, both due out in 2023. & “The Wolverine” is expected to open in the $160 million range, which would make “Inside Out 2” the biggest opening of the year and put an end to any talk of superhero fatigue.
With generally positive reviews, a rave review at Comic-Con, and Taylor Swift praising the film, calling it a “portal of joy,” Marvel’s latest film looks set to be a box office hit.
