24/7 Wall St. Insights

• “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the second R-rated movie to top global box office of $1 billion.
• Reviving the Marvel Cinematic Universe could provide a boost to Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) stock.
• Also: Dividend legends to hold forever.

The global box office so far for “Deadpool & Wolverine” posted total revenue of $1.029 billion as of the weekend, only the second R-rated movie to do so. It should pass “Joker,” which is number one on the list, in a few days. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) could use the good news as its battered stock has fallen 29% in the past year, while the S&P 500 is up 28%.

The movie is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has posted $30 billion in revenue over time, much of which has been from sequels with superheroes, including Spider-Man, Captain America, and Black Panther. Disney bought Marvel in 2009.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is partially based on the Deadpool character. The first Deadpool movie, released in 2016, had a global box office total of over $700 million. The Wolverine character has mostly appeared in movies from the X-Men franchise.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” has a 95 rating among audiences at movie critic site Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have been less generous. They give it a rating of 78.

The question Disney has to answer is whether “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a “one-hit wonder” or if Disney can restart the remarkable success of the Marvel franchise. That, by itself, could help Disney’s stock.

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