The PG-13 edit of Deadpool 2, Once Upon a Deadpool, is expected to debut in the Chinese mainland on Friday with a screen share of 82.4 percent, according to China Box Office. If true, that means the film will set a record for the highest-ever screen share for a movie in China.
Actor Ryan Reynolds licks a bouquet of tanghulu (candied Chinese haw) at a promotion event for Once Upon a Deadpool in Beijing on Sunday. (Photo: Li Hao/Global Times)
While the Marvel comic character's first film was not imported into the mainland, this does not seem to have impacted Chinese filmgoers' anticipation for the new film. On the contrary, data from movie sites in China indicate that the fact that the first film was not able to be seen in theaters but was still widely talked about has actually increased people's interest in the sequel.
And it seems this love is not a one-way street.
"I've been trying to get Deadpool in front of the audience in China for forever. So this is an opportunity that I wasn't gonna miss," said Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds on Sunday during a visit to Beijing to promote Once Upon a Deadpool. He explained that he was supposed to have undergone surgery that day in New York for an injury to his left arm received while shooting the film but canceled it to appear in China.
'Just like you and me'
"Deadpool is a character makes you feel like that he is a real person in your life," Shao, 23, told the Global Times.
"Unlike other superheroes that they stand on their dignity in front of audiences, Deadpool is vulgar just like you and me."
Twenty-two-year-old Jiang Yuqing from Weihai, Shandong Province, agrees.
"He is very real," Jiang said. "Someone not so righteous popping up among a group of 'real' superheroes."
Like Shao and Jiang, many Chinese fans are already very familiar with the character thanks to comic books.
Despite not releasing in the mainland, the first film, Deadpool, has about 250,000 reviews on Chinese media review site Douban. On the site, the film has a 7.7/10, with 46 percent of reviewers giving the film four out of five stars. Once Upon a Deadpool, which debuted in the US on December 12, 2018, had a 7.4/10 on the same site from nearly 160,000 reviews as of Tuesday, four days ahead of its Chinese mainland release.
Giving stars a Chinese nickname is often a way for the country's fans to show their love. Based on his personality, Deadpool has earned the name xiaojianjian, which literally means "little bitchy bitch."
"I'm excited about it… [I could have gotten] something boring like Viking Warlord… I love it. I'll take it," Reynolds replied upon hearing the nickname. He also joked that he thinks the Deadpool 3 film should be called "Deadpool 3: Little Bitchy Bitch."
I love my family
Once Upon a Deadpool is going by the Chinese title Wo Ai Wo Jia (Lit: I love my family) in the mainland. Although the translation doesn't seem to connect to the English title, Reynolds, who is also the film's co-scriptwriter and co-producer, thinks it's rather appropriate.
"Because Deadpool 1 is a love story, and Deadpool 2 has to be a family film," Reynolds said.
While some fans are worried the PG-13 version will not be able to express the essence of the "Merc with a Mouth" - Deadpool 1 and 2 are both R-rated- Reynolds explained that it is made "in the most Deadpool way" with even the character "literally bleeping himself out."
He also noted that what has made Deadpool such a success is that the studios "have taken money away from us [for our budget for Deadpool 1]. So we had to rely on Deadpool's mouth to get through [that film], and now it's the same thing for this movie."
Now that superhero films are in their heyday, the Hollywood actor is not worried audiences will tire of them soon. In fact, he believes that superhero films will eventually become a common genre just like comedies.
"Comedies do not go down or decline. As a genre, they are timeless," he noted.
Cover photo: VCG