Hollywood knew "Deadpool" would be big this weekend, with virtually every box office forecast predicting the Ryan Reynolds-led film will take the #1 spot. But with a record-setting preview night haul, it may prove even bigger than expected.

"Deadpool" pulled in $12.7M at 2,975 theaters Thursday night, beating previous record holder "Hangover 2," which raked in $10.4M from midnight shows in 2011.

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21st Century Fox believes the film is set for a $60-65M President's Day weekend, most likely a conservative estimate. Several independent sources have the film pegged for a $70-80M weekend, though with its Thursday numbers, it could be even bigger. Last year, "Fifty Shades of Grey" opened the same four-day frame with an $8.6M Thursday night showing on its way to a record $93M weekend.

Internationally, "Deadpool" is off to a great start as well, launching Wednesday to over $12M in ticket sales.

Directed by Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller,Gina Carano and more, "Deadpool" is in theaters now.