By: Scott Johnson on January 1, 2013
While fans have already seen trailers for Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel, there has yet to be a trailer for The Wolverine. With little information to go on, it’s very challenging to make any predictions for how The Wolverine will fare in the summer of 2013. Will The Wolverine get lost in the shadow of Iron Man and Superman? Or will The Wolverine turn out to be the surprise superhero hit of the summer? Here are our top five predictions for The Wolverine.
5. The Wolverine Opens To A Respectable $75 Million – While we would like to make a more optimistic projection for The Wolverine, the film has to overcome a late summer release date and the stigma of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We don’t predict that The Wolverine will set any records right out of the gate, but it should meet expectations for 20th Century Fox.
4. Hugh Jackman Delivers His Best Performance As Wolverine – Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine for a long time now, so he certainly has had plenty of opportunity to refine his take on the character. Based on early photos from the set of The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has definitely gotten into shape for the role. We also think that Hugh Jackman has a firm grasp on what fans want to see from Wolverine, so we’re expecting his best performance to date.
3. The Wolverine Does Well At International Box Office – While we predict the United States box office will meet expectations for The Wolverine, we expect the film to exceed expectations overseas. Hugh Jackman has a strong international following, and the film should do exceptionally well in Japan and Australia for obvious reasons.
2. The Wolverine Sets Up X-Men: Days Of Future Past – As 20th Century Fox starts to build its own version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we predict The Wolverine will help to set up X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Hugh Jackman has already let it slip that a past X-Men will have a cameo in the movie. We also wouldn’t be surprised if an after the credits scene gets added to serve as a direct lead-in to X-Men: Days Of Future Past.
1. Fans Are Pleased With The Movie – While we’re still a little concerned that we haven’t seen a first trailer yet, The Wolverine information that has leaked out so far has been promising. The fact that the movie is set in Japan is a huge plus. Jackman has also indicated that fans will get to see a rage-fueled Wolverine in this movie. Overall, The Wolverine sounds a lot like the movie that fans have been waiting for ever since Wolverine first appeared on the big screen as part the original X-Men trilogy.
