Logan Tops Charts Higher Than Expected

The X-Men spinoff Logan – starring Hugh Jackman as the metal-clawed, mutant anti-hero Wolverine – dominated the box office in its opening weekend with a huge $88.4 million, according to data released Monday, March 6.

Aimed at a more adult audience, it is the first R-rated outing in the X-Men franchise, which began in 2000 and has so far clocked up $4.4 billion in box office revenue.

More of a blood-spattered road movie than a traditional superhero film, it follows Wolverine/Logan as he undertakes one final mission: to protect a young girl who has powers remarkably like his own and is being pursued by dark forces. (READ: ‘Logan’ Review: Somber, sober and thoroughly fascinating)

Dropping to the runner-up spot in its second week was social horror-thriller Get Out, which has been the surprise hit of the year, taking $28.2 million, said box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Jordan Peele’s directorial debut – he is half of the comedy duo Key and Peele – follows an African American (Daniel Kaluuya) who goes with his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) to meet her family for the first time, but quickly realizes something sinister is afoot at their country estate.

The smart satire cost $4.5 million to produce and has already taken $78 million worldwide, with a tiny domestic drop of just 15% from its debut weekend, which is virtually unheard of in the horror genre.

Debuting in third place with $16.2 million was The Shack, based on a Christian-oriented novel by Canadian author William Young about a grieving man’s spiritual journey after his child dies.

Fourth place went to CGI comedy The Lego Batman Movie, with $11.7 million for a four-week total of $148.7 million.

Featuring the voice of Will Arnett as the caped crusader, the Warner Bros spinoff of the The Lego Movie follows Batman as he tries to save Gotham City from being taken over by the Joker, voiced by Zach Galifianakis.

Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 2 came in fifth with $4.8 million in revenue for a four-week total of $82.9 million.

The thriller stars Keanu Reeves as a hit-man forced out of retirement in order to repay a debt to a fellow hired killer with whom he has signed a blood oath.

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Sam Favate

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Wired says Logan's success means R-rated superhero movies are here for good:

https://www.wired.com/?p=2168841

I think that's a shame. These movies should be more accessible, and having gratuitous violence doesn't add anything. Sure, I enjoyed the Sin City movies, and there is a place for them, but for movies where the source material is comics aimed at younger people? No. I hope Marvel doesn't go this route. Their Netflix shows - which are excellent - show that you can craft compelling, grown-up stories without gratuitous violence.
 

TravisR

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Wired says Logan's success means R-rated superhero movies are here for good:

https://www.wired.com/?p=2168841

I think that's a shame. These movies should be more accessible, and having gratuitous violence doesn't add anything. Sure, I enjoyed the Sin City movies, and there is a place for them, but for movies where the source material is comics aimed at younger people?
I don't think you'll see it outside of characters where profanity or violence are part and parcel of the character. Characters like Deadpool, the Punisher, Wolverine, Lobo, etc. or comics like The Boys, Preacher or The Walking Dead are very violent or profane so I think it's fair that their movie/TV counterparts are that way too. You're definitely not going to see a movie where Iron Man says the f-word or tears someone's head off since they're making too much money with PG-13 movies to do that. Nor should they since it's not how that character normally acts in comic book form.
 

Sam Favate

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But there were calls to make Suicide Squad rated R, and Batman v Superman had an R-rated blu-ray release! Batman! Superman! in a R-rated movie! It's madness.
 

TravisR

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But there were calls to make Suicide Squad rated R, and Batman v Superman had an R-rated blu-ray release! Batman! Superman! in a R-rated movie! It's madness.
I did forget about those movies (which either says something about my memory or it says something about them) but I'm hoping that DC/Warners is going to use them as a learning experiences and are planning on making movies that are more fun.
 

Aaron Silverman

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I did forget about those movies (which either says something about my memory or it says something about them) but I'm hoping that DC/Warners is going to use them as a learning experiences and are planning on making movies that are more fun.

Then again, everyone seemed to prefer the R-rated cut of Bat vs. Super (albeit not due to its R-ratedness).
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Wired says Logan's success means R-rated superhero movies are here for good:
Hollywood never fails to learn the wrong lesson. Deadpool succeeded because it gave audiences something they'd never seen before. Logan did the same thing, while delivering an excellent film that holds up after the novelty wears off. Commoditizing their success into a R-rated paint-by-numbers template is a recipe to create movies that are just as tired and predictable as the PG-13 fare we get now.

But it's a lot harder to create quality movies that give audiences new experiences than it is to churn out product that meets the same superficial parameters as past successes.
 
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Sam Favate

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Oh boy. The success of Logan clearly has Hollywood buzzing about R-rated superhero films. Just from today:

DEADPOOL WILL BE PART OF FOX’S X-FORCE FILM
“‘Deadpool 2’ is going into production this year. Then ‘X-Force,’ which is a combination of Deadpool, and Cable — they’re like the Black ops of the X-Men,” Kinberg told Deadline. “They’re much darker and have an R-rated decibel.”
http://www.cbr.com/deadpool-x-force-film-ryan-reynolds/

DC FILMS REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN MAKING R-RATED SUPERHERO MOVIES
Asked if DC Films was interested in making an R-rated film, an anonymous source said, “One hundred percent yes. With the right character(s).”
http://www.cbr.com/dc-films-r-rated-superhero-movie-interest/

WONDER WOMAN COULD RECEIVE AN R-RATED DIRECTOR’S CUT
The reasons for the rating bump? Apparently the director’s cut, which bears the alternate title of the Wonder Woman Commemorative Edition, will include more violence than the original film, the theatrical release which has received its PG-13 rating for “violence throughout and some suggestive material.”
http://www.cbr.com/wonder-woman-r-rated-directors-cut/

All wrong, IMO. Very wrong.
 

Robert Crawford

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Well, I say bring the "R" rated films on as I've been waiting on these type of films for years.
 

TravisR

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DC FILMS REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN MAKING R-RATED SUPERHERO MOVIES
Hopefully, DC is eyeing Lobo for an R rated movie rather than, say, Superman. Lobo is funny, crazy, violent and unknown to the general public so he could basically be DC's Deadpool. I'm sure there's other characters in the DCU that would work in an R rated environment but I hope they aren't looking at their flagship characters for that kind of treatment.
 

Tino

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Really? Can you tell us why? I'm genuinely puzzled by this trend.
I'll say that imo r rated films are more realistic in terms of what would happen if these superhero worlds were real. Real bloodshed harsh Language and extreme violence would be the norm.
 

Robert Crawford

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I'll say that imo r rated films are more realistic in terms of what would happen if these superhero worlds were real. Real bloodshed harsh Language and extreme violence would be the norm.
Thank you because that's exactly how I would have answered that question.
 

TravisR

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I'll say that imo r rated films are more realistic in terms of what would happen if these superhero worlds were real. Real bloodshed harsh Language and extreme violence would be the norm.
My feeling is that you want to stay true to the source material. I understand what you guys are saying but I think that going R rated with most superheros risks moving too far away from the traditional stories with those characters. The majority of Marvel & DC comics are designed for teens or all ages so I think it's best for them to stick to that area for a movie or TV show. Now when it comes to an R rated comic book, I'm all for making it as violent or profane or dark as the source. For example, Cinemax is supposed to be developing The Boys (which is about a black ops government group that keeps superheros- who are crazed with their own power and celebrity- in line) and I couldn't be happier because pay cable is a great place for that book because it will let them go to the violent & pitch black humor extremes that the comic went to.
 

Sam Favate

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My feeling is that you want to stay true to the source material. I understand what you guys are saying but I think that going R rated with most superheros risks moving too far away from the traditional stories with those characters. The majority of Marvel & DC comics are designed for teens or all ages so I think it's best for them to stick to that area for a movie or TV show. Now when it comes to an R rated comic book, I'm all for making it as violent or profane or dark as the source.

I agree with this. For the same reason, Netflix's Jessica Jones was a near-perfect adaptation.

I can also tell you that as these movies and shows seek to expand their audience (as all do), they're turning off people by making them more violent. My wife - no comic book fan, but enjoys the Marvel films and shows - cringes at the bone-crunching in Daredevil and other squeamish moments. Moreover, my kids would love to see these shows, but at 8 years old, they're far too young. No way they can see even the PG-13 Batman vs Superman, or Logan (which sucks, because they love the X-Men films).

There's a way to do this without being gratuitous. When I was a kid, I used to think that an R rating or showing more violence made the films more mature, and worthy of attention by serious critics. But not now. Nothing screams "adolescent fantasy" than one of Zack Synder's films (Rorschach using a chainsaw on people's hands comes to mind).
 

Robert Crawford

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My feeling is that you want to stay true to the source material. I understand what you guys are saying but I think that going R rated with most superheros risks moving too far away from the traditional stories with those characters. The majority of Marvel & DC comics are designed for teens or all ages so I think it's best for them to stick to that area for a movie or TV show. Now when it comes to an R rated comic book, I'm all for making it as violent or profane or dark as the source. For example, Cinemax is supposed to be developing The Boys (which is about a black ops government group that keeps superheros- who are crazed with their own power and celebrity- in line) and I couldn't be happier because pay cable is a great place for that book because it will let them go to the violent & pitch black humor extremes that the comic went to.
I didn't say all superheroes, but characters like Wolverine, who is for intent and purposes a killing machine, this "R" rated film was appropriate for his final Jackman appearance. The same with Deadpool, an assassin more than anything else.
 

Johnny Angell

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My wife and I saw Logan yesterday. We both enjoyed the film but would have preferred less graphic gore. That little girl is a good actress. Oddly, for a film I liked, I don't feel the necessity to see it again. That means no blu ray purchase for me.
 

Aaron Silverman

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Moreover, my kids would love to see these shows, but at 8 years old, they're far too young. No way they can see even the PG-13 Batman vs Superman, or Logan (which sucks, because they love the X-Men films).

What am I not remembering about Batman vs. Superman that made it more violent than the X-Men films?
 
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