Box Office Report: 'The Wolverine' Grosses Strong $4 Million Thursday Night
9:16 AM PDT 7/26/2013 by Pamela McClintock
The "X-Men" spinoff -- returning Hugh Jackman in the title role -- is on course to score one of the best openings of the summer season.
Fox and Marvel's The Wolverine earned a strong $4 million as it began rolling out in North America at 10 p.m. Thursday, looking to end a losing run for big-budget tentpoles.
The movie is on course to open in the $65 million to $70 million range domestically, one of the best showings of the summer. It should do even more business overseas, where it opens day-and-date in most of the world.
And, unlike other summer films, which opened at 7 p.m. Thursday, Wolverine didn't launch domestically until 10 p.m. Earlier this summer, World War Z grossed $3.6 million Thursday night on its way to a $66 million North American opening.
Wolverine was directed by James Mangold, with Hugh Jackman returning in the title role (the two worked together previously on the 2001 romantic adventure Kate & Leopold). The film opens four years after X-Men spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine played in theaters, opening to $85.1 million in early May and grossing $373.1 million worldwide.
Wolverine's long-term outcome should be boosted by strong reviews; X-Men Origins was roundly bashed by critics.
Set sometime after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan (Jackman) has renounced his superhero powers and is living as a recluse in the Yukon.
However, he's drawn back into the world when a Japanese man he once saved requests to become immortal. He also asks that Logan protect his granddaugther.
Fox spent just under $120 million to make Wolverine after tax rebates, a fairly reasonable number for a superhero pic.
