Logan: Will Fan Buzz Equal Box Office Dollars?

Kofi Outlaw

03/02/2017 04:56 pm EST

The X-Men movie universe is about to debut it's highly-anticipated latest installment, Logan, in theaters. Marking Hugh Jackman's third and final Wolverine movie, Logan is something of a risky venture for Fox; the film will mark the first time that one of the main X-men cahracters is stepping out into a Rated-R film - a risk that has been prompted by the breakout success of Deadpool.

However, taking the X-Men movie franchise further into R-Rated territory has been an exciting proposition for fans, but the question is: will it make for a successful box office return?

Fan Anticipation Is Strong

With just days to go before release (at the time of writing this) Logan has scored an impressive 4.34/5 in our Comicbook.com User Anticipation Rankings. It seems that fan excitement for Logan is humming along at a pretty high pitch.

...And it's no wonder why.

Comicbook.com's Brandon Davis gave Logan a glowing review, summing up the film with the following: "The evolution of the Wolverine franchise into Logan is an epic example of where superhero films needed to go." He also cited the Rated-R action and violence as thrilling lures for longtimes fans, saying, "Scenes take extremely unexpected turns towards blood pouring out of characters, including the ancillary faces, which moviegoers are typically unprepared for. That is what makes the film so remarkable."

With the film scoring high in our official review and fan anticipation as high as it is, it seems like Logan is definitely THE movie to see - not only this week, but in the entire month of March.

READ: March Movie Preview

Box Office Expectations

So how much money does all this anticipation and critical buzz translate into?

As of the most recent estimates, Logan is expected to make $70-80 million domestically in its opening weekend; about $170 - 180 million worldwide. That Outpaces movies like X-Men: Apocalypse, though not Deadpool (the other R-rated X-Men flick). X-Men Origins: Wolverine made $85 million opening weekend, so Logan would need to cross that mark to beat the worst film in the trilogy.

All in all, Logan is facing some modestly good expectations for a sizeable box office - though one that will likely not be the sort of record-breaking phenomenon that Deadpool was.

But with fan anticipation as high as it is - and plenty in the film that fans should be excited for - there's still potential for Logan to destroy expectations and do even bigger business. Underperformance doesn't seem like a reality, at this point.

More Wolverine News

Logan stars Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Doris Morgado (Maria), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice). James Mangold is directing and helped on the screenplay along with Scott Frank and Michael Green.

Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017.

MORE: Ticket Sales Outpacing Previous X-Men Films / Every Big Movie Hitting Theaters In March / Logan Director Teases Black And White Version Of Film

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