One of the most anticipated blockbusters of the summer is making its Canadian premiere in Toronto tonight, as Marvel rolls out the red (and yellow) carpet for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, longtime pals and stars of the film, will be joined by director Shawn Levy as they take over Scotiabank Theatre to meet fans and unleash their R-rated humour onto Canadian screens for the first time, ahead of the movie’s release.
Fans of the franchise, who were decked out in costumes, cheered “Thank you!” and screamed as the stars signed autographs and took selfies.
“Welcome to Toronto, Hugh,” one fan shouted as Jackman crossed the room.
Coming to Canada ‘just feels right’: director
“I don’t know that I can think of a mainstream event movie tent-pole that is more Canadian than Deadpool & Wolverine,” Levy told CBC News on the red carpet. “So it feels great.”
The Canadian premiere of the movie has some special significance, as both Reynolds and Levy are proudly Canadian, as are the Deadpool and Wolverine characters played by Reynolds and Jackman.
“From the very beginning, we told Disney and Marvel — we’re like ‘We’ll travel all over the world talking to this movie, but we’re coming to Canada,’ ” said Levy. “And it just feels right.”
The Montreal-born director, who is known for family-friendly films like Night at the Museum and Cheaper by the Dozen and is also the producer of Netflix series Stranger Things, says stepping into the Marvel world comes with expectations, but joining the franchise didn’t mean he’d lose his personal touch.
Levy said that from the very beginning, Reynolds and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made it clear to him that they wanted Deadpool & Wolverine to be funny and have spectacle, but that it should also be a Shawn Levy movie.
“There’s a big beating heart at the centre of this movie and I think that’s what makes it a me movie,” he said.
Deadpool & Wolverine, the only film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that’s set to be released this year, is expected to break records and unseat the original Deadpool‘s $132.4 million opening. Deadline is projecting that the film will rake in over a billion dollars, with an opening weekend estimate of $160 million.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to be released in theatres on July 26.
WATCH | The official Deadpool & Wolverine trailer: