The Deadpool 2 box office is off to a record-breaking start. Two years after Deadpool shattered any and all expectations at the box office, the highly anticipated follow-up scored $18.6 million from Thursday night preview showings, which absolutely destroys the previous record for an R-rated film’s Thursday night box office. That prior title was held by last fall’s It, which grossed $13.5 million on Thursday—so you can see here Deadpool 2 pretty much smoked that R-rated record. This is actually the franchise reclaiming its throne, as the first Deadpool held the record for an R-rated Thursday with $12.7 million before going on to gross $132.4 million opening weekend—the best opening weekend for an R-rated movie ever.

So what does this mean for the weekend box office? It means Deadpool 2 is almost certainly going to break the opening weekend box office record for an R-rated movie, taking the title from the first Deadpool. How high Deadpool 2 soars will largely depend on how well audiences respond to the film, but reviews thus far have been mostly kind, with many singling out the film’s non-stop jokes and meta commentary, which should bring plenty of joy to fans.

Indeed, Deadpool 2 stands in stark contrast to the most recent superhero movie Avengers: Infinity War, which certainly had some levity but ended on a real bummer note. Deadpool 2, meanwhile, is pure unfiltered joy, which is something that plenty of other superhero movies somehow forget. That entertainment factor bodes well for repeating viewings and overall satisfaction, so sit tight folks—it’s gonna be a big weekend for Deadpool 2.

Most analysts have the opening weekend pegged somewhere between $130 million and $150 million, but I’ll take the high end on that. Wherever it ends up, expect Deadpool 2 to dethrone Infinity War from the #1 slot at the box office. Check back for full estimates this weekend.

For more on Deadpool 2, peruse links to our recent articles below.

• Exclusive: Ryan Reynolds on "Deadpool 2', Cable, the Title, the 'X-Force' Movie, and More
• 'Deadpool 2': The Amazing Post-Credit Scene Explained
• 'Deadpool 2': Let's Talk about That Ending for The Merc with a Mouth
• Josh Brolin on 'Deadpool 2', Cable's Origin, and Drew Goddard's 'X-Force' Movie