Quick summary
- Hugh Jackman’s 2013 film The Wolverine joined HBO Max on 1 November.
- It is now the No. 6 most-watched movie on the service in the United States, according to FlixPatrol, as reported by Comic Book Resources.
- The film took more than US$415 million worldwide against a budget of roughly US$100 million to US$132 million.
- Critics gave it 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences 69%.
Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine, a film many fans remember less fondly than the X-Men movies around it, has found a second life on streaming. Comic Book Resources reports that the 2013 spinoff reached HBO Max on 1 November and now sits at No. 6 among the most-watched movies on the service in the US, based on FlixPatrol data.
Where The Wolverine sits on the HBO Max chart
According to Comic Book Resources, five titles are ahead of it: The Invite at No. 1, The Housemaid at No. 2, The Death of Robin Hood at No. 3, Elf at No. 4 and Project X at No. 5. That puts a superhero film from 13 years ago alongside recent releases and a perennial Christmas favourite.
The figures come from a single chart snapshot, so the ranking may move in the coming days. The report does not say how many views the film has had.
What the film is about
The Wolverine is the sixth film in the original X-Men series. It follows 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand and 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The story picks up after the events of The Last Stand, with Logan lured to Japan, where he is pulled into a world of yakuza and samurai.
Stripped of his healing powers, he faces deadly opponents and, for the first time, the prospect of death. He is also still carrying guilt over the death of Jean Grey. The official logline, quoted by Comic Book Resources, describes him on the run with a powerful industrialist’s daughter, played by Tao Okamoto.
James Mangold directed, from a script by Scott Frank and Mark Bomback. The cast also includes Hiroyuki Sanada and Haruhiko Yamanouchi.
How it performed in 2013
Comic Book Resources says the film became one of Jackman’s highest-grossing titles, earning more than US$415 million worldwide. Set against a reported budget of between US$100 million and US$132 million, that is roughly three to four times its cost at the box office, before marketing is counted.
Reviews were mostly positive. The film holds a 70% critic score and a 69% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a close match between the two groups.
What Jackman said at the time
Before release, Jackman told Collider that signing on depended on having a strong idea and approach to the story. He said he was thrilled when the studio agreed to call it The Wolverine rather than Wolverine 2.
He described it as a standalone story set well after X-Men Origins, in a new location with a director he praised, and with a visual style unlike the other X-Men films. He expected it to feel “very fresh”, according to the Comic Book Resources report.
For more on the actor’s X-Men years, see everything we have published about Hugh Jackman, including Jeremy Allen White reportedly eyed to replace Hugh Jackman and our Movies section.
What happens next
The next few days of FlixPatrol data will show whether The Wolverine holds its place or slips as other titles take over. Nothing in the source report points to a new announcement tied to the film, so the chart position is the whole story for now.
Frequently asked questions
When did The Wolverine arrive on HBO Max?
It was added on 1 November, according to Comic Book Resources.
Where does The Wolverine rank on HBO Max?
It is the No. 6 most-watched movie on HBO Max in the United States, per FlixPatrol.
Who directed The Wolverine?
James Mangold directed the film, which was released in 2013 and stars Hugh Jackman as Logan.
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