The Wolverine had plenty of bark at the box office, and just enough bite.
The sixth installment of the X-Men franchise clawed its way to $55 million this weekend, according to studio estimates from box-office trackers Hollywood.com.
While the debut was plenty to win the weekend — there were no other major newcomers as studios cleared a path for the comic-book adaptation — the opening fell short of analysts' projections, which called for a bow of at least $65 million.
Still, it snapped the string of high-priced live-action films that couldn't claim the weekend crown. Last week, the $20 million horror flick The Conjuring opened to $42 million, crushing the $130 million supernatural film R.I.P.D., which debuted to a dismal $13 million. Similarly, Pacific Rim ($37 million), The Lone Ranger ($29 million) and White House Down ($25 million) opened well below projections, falling to cheaper movies and animated films.
While Wolverine's opening was solid for a sixth franchise installment, analysts wondered whether moviegoers are suffering mutant fatigue. The previous Wolverine film, 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, debuted to $85 million.
