R-rated movies have never been thought to be the breadwinners for studios. The introduction of comic book heroes has drastically changed this thinking, even breaking records that have resulted in the new ground being explored for an audience who is responsive to it. Here are five movies who raked in the money with an R-rating intact.
1) Deadpool:
Deadpool was a big risk for Fox. As the studio had already failed to portray the superhero correctly in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was in the hands of star Ryan Reynolds and his director to bring back the dead character. R-rated movies do not usually have big opening markets, let alone $130 million openings. But that was what the movie did. It made $363 million in the US alone and a whopping $782 million worldwide.
2) 300:
The movie 300 was based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name. It was directed by Zack Snyder and has been known to be the kick starter for visually stunning scenes in movie theaters. It had a $70 million opening weekend which became the third highest at the time for an R-rated movie. It made $456 million worldwide.
3)Wanted:
The movie Wanted was based off Mark Millar’s comic book series of the same name. The Angelina Jolie/James McAvoy starred grossed $134 million in the US and $341 million worldwide. The movie was critically and commercially a success with positive word of mouth reviews by fans. Many have hoped for a sequel, which has not yet been talked about.
4) Kingsman: The Secret Service:
Kingsman was R-rated both in its comic book form and its movie adaptation. Although it has a lighter hearted and comedic tone than most of the movies on this list, it still fared impressively at the box office. The movie grossed over $128 million domestically and $414 million worldwide.
5) Watchmen:
Watchmen was one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time. The comic book it was based off by Alan Moore is considered to be a groundbreaking for the comic book genre and had a revered fan following.The movie was directed by Zack Snyder and grossed over $100 million in the US and $180 million worldwide.
