The gargantuan risk which spent 10 years in development hell is breaking box office records left, right, and centre.

Deadpool's $265M global opening weekend is astonishing, to say the least. It now officially primes it as the biggest R-rated opening of all time, beating out both The Matrix Reloaded and American Sniper.

The film also landed the biggest February opening, topping last year's Fifty Shades of Grey; as well as the biggest opening for studio 20th Century Fox. Yes, the Merc with a Mouth outdid the entire X-Men franchise, and every single (pre-Force Awakens) Star Wars film. It also marks the biggest opening for a first time feature director for Tim Miller, whose previous experience had limited him to VFX artistry.

What really brings home Deadpool's success is the perspective fact it was filmed on a lean $58M; don't expect that budget to stay trimmed when it comes round to filming Deadpool 2. For a franchise has officially landed.