Box Office: Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Tracking for $55M-Plus Debut

The offbeat superhero movie opens over the long Valentine's Day/Presidents Day weekend opposite 'Zoolander 2' and 'How to Be Single.'

Ryan Reynold's superhero pic Deadpool is generating plenty of interest among moviegoers, putting it on course for a $55 million-plus debut next month.

The Fox and Marvel film came on tracking Thursday, three weeks before it opens over the long Valentine's Day and Presidents Day weekend. Deadpool rolls out Feb. 12 opposite comedies Zoolander 2 and How to Be Single.

Those with access to prerelease services say the scores are strong for Deadpool among both males and females (as of now, it is the first choice among females). One service even has Deadpool crossing $60 million, and that's before Fox makes its major marketing push.

Deadpool — a passion project for Reynolds — follows the adventures of Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool), a foul-mouthed, witty superhero who was bestowed with special powers after going through an experimental treatment for cancer. The actor first appeared as the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In Deadpool, the superhero searches out the men who subjected him to the treatment.

Directed by Tim Miller, the film also stars Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller and Gina Carano.

The four-day Valentine's Day and Presidents Day weekend has become a lucrative frame for moviegoing. Last year, Fifty Shades of Grey debuted to a dazzling $93 million while Kingsman: The Secret Service launched to $41.8 million over the four days.

Tracking shows Paramount's Zoolander 2, directed by and starring Ben Stiller opposite Owen Wilson, looking to gross north of $20 million, but those estimates could easily see an uptick in the coming days. That would place the comedy ahead of New Line's How to Be Single, a female-skewing rom-com starring Fifty Shades star Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie and Leslie Mann.