Deadpool, the Hollywood smash starring Ryan Reynolds as a mercenary turned mouthy mutant superhero, may be ineligible for an Oscar this year, but it's set to break an Australian box office record for February.
Reynolds even jokingly encourages fans of the superhero comedy film to start a write-in campaign to get Deadpool an Academy nomination.
The film was ineligible for this year's Oscars, having fallen outside the 2015 calendar year.
But it's been a runaway success at the Australian box office since it was released on February 11.
"It's sitting at about $30 million, we think it'll do about $40 million, which would be a record box office for February," Hoyts chief executive Keogh told Fairfax Media.
2015 was a massive year for cinema, with the release of Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While those movies set a high standard to reach, Mr Keogh believes 2016 can be another strong year.
"At the start of the year, from a calendar perspective, we were probably seeing box office marginally down on last year. But, definitely the performance of Deadpool has given us a little more confidence," he said.
"We think the depth of movies is probably stronger this year."
Big releases in 2016 include Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse and Independence Day: Resurgence.
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