Prior to landing the role of Wolverine in Bryan Singer's initial 2000 X-Men film, Australian actor Hugh Jackman was all but unknown to most stateside audiences. Thankfully, Jackman proved to be an excellent choice for the part, imbuing the famously rage-filled hero with a great mix of emotional pathos and fighting skills. Jackman's Wolverine went on to be the face of the franchise, including three different solo adventures for the character.
The first, 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was seen as a misfire by most fans, and heavily bashed by critics. Still, the film made respectable money, bringing in $373 million worldwide on a budget of $150 million. Despite the complaints about the film, Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine was one of its few saving graces, and he got another shot at solo glory in 2013's The Wolverine. This effort went over much better with both fans and critics, earning $414 million worldwide on a slightly smaller budget of $120 million.
Jackman's third -- and ostensibly final -- outing as Wolverine came in the recently released Logan, the best reviewed Wolverine movie to date, and already the highest grossing, despite only being in theaters since March 3. On a reduced budget of $97 million, James Manold's hard-R film has already hauled in a whopping $444 million worldwide, and seems quite likely to make it over the $500 million mark before leaving theaters. Now heading into its third weekend, Logan is set to face some new competition in the form of Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. 20th Century Fox has released a new TV spot comparing the two options. Check it out above.
Considering the levels of bloody violence Wolverine inflicts within Logan, the word beast seems more applicable to him than ever before, at least on a film level. Wolverine has of course done much more gruesome things within the pages of Marvel comic books over the years. Still, if anything, the blood and gore has worked in Logan's favor, with recent polls suggesting that fans would like more R-rated superhero flicks in the future.
Will Logan truly be the last time Jackman suits up as Wolverine? It seems likely, but one can never truly be sure, as Jackman himself admits that he might opt to return to the character under the right conditions, such as if Wolverine were to enter the MCU. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, so for now, fans will have to make due with Jackman's acclaimed final hurrah.
Next: Logan Concept Art Showcases Mutant Heroes
Source: 20th Century Fox
