The Wolverine Takes Box Office With Modest $55 Million Opening

Not great news at the box office this week, according to Exhibitor Relations.With fairly warm critical reception and a strong response from fans through a high CinemaScore, The Wolverine looked at one point not that long ago like it might flirt with as much as $75 million this weekend, but a slow descent that began on Friday night has resulted in a projected $55 million weekend for the film–about $30 million less than X-Men Origins: Wolverine brought in when it opened in 2009.Fox will likely point to Batman Begins, which underperformed compared to previous installments but which was critically well-received and remains a fan favorite a decade later, making it a home video hit that continues to generate revenue for the studio.The Wolverine is similarly more quiet and thoughtful than its predecessor, and more likely to attract a passionate audience who will buy the Blu-Ray–but that still doesn’t change the fact that the movie made $10 million less than the studio projections…which are meant to be numbers the film can exceed and look good.