Maybe Wolverine should thank the Academy. And Hugh Jackman.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine rose above everything from swine flu to play-off basketball to gross $87 million at the weekend box office, its studio estimated. The debut was the year’s biggest, and the fourth-biggest ever for a summer-season opener.
“We’ve had a lot of hurdles to overcome with this movie,” 20th Century Fox’s Chris Aronson said today. “At the end of the day, audiences have a huge appetite for Hugh.”
And was that appetite whetted by Jackman’s appearance as Oscar host?