Half a Billion for Production: Disney's Financial Report Casts Doubt on "Deadpool & Wolverine" Profitability

The final financial success of "Deadpool & Wolverine" turned out to be not as impressive as it might have seemed.

Disney has confirmed that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is one of the most expensive projects in the studio's history. According to the report, the final costs for production and marketing exceeded half a billion dollars — a total of $533 million.

Production took place at Pinewood Studios in the UK, where "Star Wars" and "The Avengers" were also filmed. Filming was repeatedly interrupted due to the actors' and writers' strikes in 2023, which, according to Forbes, was one of the reasons for the budget overrun. The document emphasizes that the final costs "exceeded initial plans."

Nevertheless, filming in the UK proved to be beneficial: the local government compensates up to 25.5% of expenses if at least 10% of key costs are incurred on British territory. Thanks to this program, Disney received $104.7 million in tax refunds and subsidies, reducing net expenses to $429 million.

At the same time, the film grossed $1.34 billion worldwide — becoming the only Marvel project after the pandemic to surpass the billion-dollar mark. According to Forbes' estimate, taking into account the standard 50-percent revenue split between cinemas and the studio, Disney could have received about $670 million.

The difference between this amount and the net expenses of $429 million gives a theoretical profit of $241 million. However, Forbes emphasizes that this figure does not reflect the real picture. The calculation excludes marketing, digital sales, merchandise, and a number of related revenues, so it is impossible to establish an accurate balance. According to That Park Place, the global marketing campaign could have cost more than $200 million, but Disney traditionally does not disclose such data.

Thus, Forbes formulates the conclusion as cautiously as possible: "Deadpool & Wolverine" showed solid box office profits, but it is still unclear whether the project was profitable overall.

This also explains Shawn Levy's recent statements: although he is already turning over ideas for a sequel in his head, the very thought of a sequel scares him more than inspires him — with such costs, any miscalculation could turn into a financial catastrophe.