And Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber get to draw first blood with X-Men Origins Wolverine (reviews)...To counteract the mutants Matthew McConaughey haunts them with his latest rom-com Ghost of Girlfriends Past (reviews)....With competition like this--will anyone even go to see the space toon Battle for Terra (reviews)
Pamela McClintock of Variety:
Just how much will 20th Century Fox's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" wolf down in its worldwide debut today, which marks the start of the summer box office?
"Wolverine" comes on the heels of the best winter and spring ever at the box office. Domestic revenues are up 15% through Tuesday, admissions 12%. Considering those gains, expectations are high for the summer sesh.
In a counter programming move, Warner Bros. and New Line are opening Matthew McConaughey-Jennifer Garner romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past." Last year, Sony's romantic comedy "Made of Honor" opened to $15 million when debuting the same weekend as Paramount's "Iron Man." Warners takes "Girlfriend" out in 3,000 runs.
Roadside Attractions is looking to snag some family biz this weekend with 3-D toon adventure "Battle for Terra," which opens in 1,159; 3-D pics have been seeing strong box office thanks to the premium cost of a 3-D ticket.
Predictions vary for "Wolverine." Fox, trying to manage expectations for the Marvel prequel, is saying in the $70 million range. Tracking suggests the spinoff/prequel could open much higher.
"Wolverine," returning Hugh Jackman in the title role, is tracking on par with "Iron Man," which debuted to $102 million on the same weekend a year ago.
But there are mitigating factors that could eat into "Wolverine's" earnings. A month ago a working copy of the film was pirated and leaked on the Internet. Fox insiders say it could cost the film $20 million in B.O. revenues considering that hundreds of thousands of copies were downloaded.
Territories in Asia, where piracy is rife, could be particularly impacted. Germany is also a hotbed for illegal movie downloads.
Fox opens "Wolverine" in 4,099 theaters domestically in the widest opening ever for the studio. Pic was produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, John Palermo and Jackman. Directed by Gavin Hood, "Wolverine" cost $130 million to produce after Australian tax credits. New faces to the franchise include Liev Schreiber and Taylor Kitsch.
"Wolverine" is getting so-so reviews, which could also take a bite out of the box office, although fanboy titles are generally review-proof on opening weekend.Universal's spring box office hit "Fast and Furious," which earned dismal reviews, opened to $70 million domestically on its way to cuming $316.7 million worldwide.
The previous title in the franchise, "X-Men: The Last Stand," debuted to $102.8 million over Memorial Day weekend in 2006. Gross was boosted by the four-day holiday weekend. "X2: X-Men United," like "Wolverine," opened on the first weekend of summer, in 2003, grossing $85.6 million. "X-Men" opened to $54.5 million in July 2000.
If "Wolverine" does the kind of worldwide business that the previous three films did, Fox will have found a way to extend the life of a franchise that's very important to the studio....
On The Foreign Front:
Flu forces studios to shuffle slates
Majors shift release dates in Mexico
Gunnar Rehlin of Variety finds out why:
'Wolverine' too violent for Swedes
Censor board gives prequel a 15 classification-
Nicole Sperling of EW:
Hugh Jackman's ''X-Men'' spin-off will open big, but can it claw past ''Iron Man'''s take from last year?
Next Week: Six and a half years since the last film hit theaters, and one release date change later--The Star Trek franchise moves ahead by peering into its past...While the Donald Faison/Mike Epps comedy Next Day Air boldly goes up against it....
I am finalizing my Trek viewing plans for next week as this posts...The eagerly reboot awaited flick is also EW's latest cover story
New cast and director J.J. Abrams jolt a franchise that was out of gas; will the next generation follow?
I say yup they will...
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