Logan has been touted by 20th Century Fox as the gritty, R-rated Wolverine movie fans have been waiting for since the debut of the film's Johnny Cash-infused first trailer. After the massive success that was Deadpool early last year, the studio decided to bank on a more adult-themed Wolverine film in order to sell tickets and appease audiences, and critics across the web have been declaring their overwhelming adoration as the film now sits at 94% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
With both fan and critical response trending extremely positive, the only question that remained was whether or not fans would turn out in droves to see Hugh Jackman's last hurrah as the titular anti-hero. Early box office projections were a tad more conservative before first reactions hit the web, but in light of the positive buzz, insiders have been forced to crunch their numbers for the umpteenth time. With the film's opening night being even bigger than expected, it appears as though the last entry in this Wolverine trilogy could exceed expectations yet again.
According to box office analysts at Variety, Logan took in over $33 million at the box office on its first Friday alone. From 4000 plus locations, the film managed to earn $33.1 approximately, which served to increase its weekend projections north of $80 million for the entire weekend. $80 million might not be Deadpool numbers per say, but it is certainly nothing to sneeze at. In fact, when Logan surpasses $53 million, it will dethrone The LEGO Batman Movie as the highest grossing picture of 2017 thus far. Not to mention, it will easily supplant itself in the top ten, all-time R-rated box office earners if it reaches this new projection.
Landing firmly in second place in Friday's box office results is Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out, which garnered $8 million while screening at just under 3000 locations. And in third place with $5.5 million is the faith-based picture The Shack. Last weekend's debuts – John Wick: Chapter 2 and aforementioned animated feature The LEGO Batman Movie – look to round out the top five. Additionally, recent Best Picture winner Moonlight has been performing admirably after a controversial Academy Awards ceremony.
With an (estimated) $80 million dollar opening weekend, Logan would be well on its way to recovering its reported $127 million budget. As you can imagine, R-rated superhero films are seen by studios as a risky bet in terms of monetary success, but for the second year in a row, it would appear as though 20th Century Fox has its formula down.
Source: Variety