The Culture

Celine's Steals Show at Olympics, 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Smashes Box Office

The word in everyone's mouths this weekend was "Deadpool." Deadpool & Wolverine just shattered records at the box office, taking in $205 million in just three days. The Marvel film now sets the record for the biggest opening for an R-rated film ever, and eighth biggest opening of any film ever.

And Marvel, owned by Disney, needed this box office win. Recent films like The Marvels and Eternals underperformed, forcing Marvel to refocus their strategy for future projects. Part of that strategy has been geared towards scaling back the number of projects released in a calendar year– Deadpool & Wolverine is the only Marvel film being released this year. Earlier this year, Disney's CEO Bob Iger said during a quarterly earnings call that the company is "going to decrease the volume" of films put out in a year "from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three."

It also seems like they're expanding the Marvel universe by introducing newer characters. However, one new character announced this weekend at Comic Con will be a familiar face to Marvel fans. Robert Downey Jr., who famously played Iron Man in several Marvel movies, will play Doctor Doom in a new film. Downey's return was met with excitement and confusion. Will Doctor Doom be a version of Iron Man? Has Iron Man been reborn as evil after dying in Avengers: Endgame? Those questions have yet to be answered, but it feels pretty certain Marvel will look to the success of Deadpool & Wolverine and try and replicate it with future Marvel releases.

OK, we need to get to the Olympics, because there's a ton to talk about...

• Did you see that Celine Dion performance at the opening ceremonies? My God, that was an Olympic sport in and of itself. The singer, who hasn't performed in years after she revealed her struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, wowed everybody with her performance of Edith Piaf's "L'Hymne à l'amour" under the Eiffel Tower. I mean, if you're going to make a triumphant return, do it standing under the Eiffel Tower, right?

• But that wasn't the only performance everybody has been talking about. Lady Gaga performed "Mon Truc en Plumes" in a number that was just so French, complete with feathers and drama. It screamed Moulin Rouge! You know what I love about Lady Gaga? She's weird. Like really weird. In a way that's just so freeing. We need more weird in this world, and Gaga consistently brings the weird.

• You know who else is at the Olympics? Snoop Dogg! Yes, the rapper is offering play by plays for NBC and guess what? It's kind of exactly what you need. His reaction to Simone Biles is something I will be watching repeatedly this week.

That's it for me today, but make sure you're sticking with Newsweek for all kinds of great takes on the Olympics. I'll be back on Wednesday with more. Keep scrolling for more entertainment news.