Gigantic Deadpool & Wolverine drone show breaks record - then breaks it again
A drone show celebrating the release of Deadpool & Wolverine was so good it broke a world record… and then broke it AGAIN moments later.
Staged by Sky Elements and Marvel (both USA) the display at San Diego Comic-Con will go down in history as the largest aerial display of a fictional character formed by multirotors/drones.
The show, in the sky above Petco Park and facing the San Diego Convention Center, first set the record with an image of Deadpool (portrayed in the movie by Ryan Reynolds) with 1,599 drones.
It then broke the record again moments later, with 1,607 drones coming together to form an image of Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman).
The whole thing was watched by VIP guests – including the movie’s stars - and attendees of a premiere screening of the film.
This wasn’t even the first time Sky Elements broke this record, originally setting it last Christmas with an image of the Nutcracker.
And their patriotic Fourth of July show still holds the record for largest aerial sentence formed by multirotors/drones.
Tyler Kubicz, Production Manager at Sky Elements, said of the latest show: “The company's main goal with this record was to showcase our abilities like never before.
“The drone show medium is ripe to have the greatest stories ever told through it. Any time Sky Elements has a chance to showcase this medium on a global scale, we'll do it. We broke this record last Christmas with a drone show retelling of the Nutcracker and wanted to break it again.”
Putting together such a huge record-breaking display doesn’t come without its challenges though.
Tyler explained: “Larger shows have many challenges associated with them. Finding a venue large enough to host, putting pyrotechnics on drones safely, and of course animating a story in the sky for an audience of fans.
“This project took months to come together with many approval levels, including Kevin Feige [President of Marvel Studios] himself!
“Putting together all the pieces, from FAA waivers to securing sites, is all thanks to our fantastic activations team, which effortlessly arranges everything for the ground team.”
As the show begins, Deadpool’s head is seen floating in the sky and turning side to side.
A giant Marvel logo explodes into its place, and the drones later come together to form a huge image of Deadpool pulling his swords from their holders on his back.
He’s soon replaced by Wolverine in his signature pose, holding his claws up to form an X across his chest.
The word “snikt!” is written in the sky next to him – fandom slang for the noise his claws make when they emerge from underneath his skin.
The image turns into a huge one of the character leaping through the air like he’s about to strike with his claws.
It ended with pyro drones forming the Fantastic Four logo to tease the upcoming movie.
Tyler says the attempt included a total of 2,400 drones, including 300 pyro drones and that it was the largest drone show that has ever been flown in that hemisphere.
"Our team jumped through many hurdles to get to this scale," said Preston Ward, Chief Pilot and General Counsel of Sky Elements. "We’re comfortable creating things for the first time, so while pulling it off was challenging, our team rose to the occasion."
Rick Boss, President of Sky Elements, added: "The audience at Comic-Con is the dream audience for this show. Making a truly custom experience for Marvel fans is a dream come true for our team."
This is the latest in a string of Guinness World Records titles set by Deadpool & Wolverine.
The trailer was the most viewed movie trailer in 24 hours and Chris Evans and Wesley Snipes have both broken records with their cameo appearances.