'Wolverine' Sequel Claws Its Way to Middle of X-Men Pack

Adamantium-clawed Logan (Hugh Jackman) confronts his own mortality in Japan in The Wolverine.

The quality of the X-Men movies hasn't been the most consistent over the franchise's decade-plus run. When the series belts out rock solid installments such as X2 and X-Men: First Class, they're not just superior superhero films, but rank amongst the best of the their respective years. But then again, the franchise also includes X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Feel free to erase those two from canon.

Much like 2009's X-Men Origins, The Wolverine is a standalone feature that focuses solely on Hugh Jackman's adamantium-clawed loner, Wolverine. Set one year after The Last Stand, Wolverine is summoned to Japan to fulfill the dying wishes of Yashida, an industrial tycoon whose life he saved during the Nagasaki attacks. Yashida offers Wolverine an opportunity to strip away his immortality and put an end to eternal suffering.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'The Wolverine' Attacks Top Spot Despite Weaker X-Men Franchise Opening

There was no surprise that The Wolverine would claw its way to the top spot at the box office this weekend, however the standalone mutant film starring Hugh Jackman debuted weaker than every other X-Men film in the franchise with the exception of the first film from 2000.

The Wolverine transports adamantium-clawed superhero halfway around the globe to Japan to reunite with an industrial tycoon whose life he saved during World War II. Despite being based on a popular 80's X-Men arc, a $55 million opening for The Wolverine is startling for a franchise that has boasted higher numbers in the past.   

Last week's top film, The Conjuring and previous two-week champion Despicable Me 2 continued to hold strong in the face of competition. The James Wan scare fest closes in on a successful $100 million run, while Illumination Entertainment's animated spy flick became to second film of 2013 to cross $300 million domestically.

"Les Miserables" Challenges Difficult Broadway to Hollywood Transition

Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is one of many characters who change the life of ex-convict, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman).

At the 83rd Academy Awards, Tom Hooper took home the top prize for directing The King's Speech and in just a short time of two years, he's already managed to surpass his own success with a more confidently directed adaptation of the beloved Boublil Broadway musical, Les Misérables. The musical and this big screen version are based on the classic 19th century Victor Hugo novel of the same name.

Les Misérables spans nearly two decades chronicling the life of ex-convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who stole a loaf of bread to provide for his family. An insignificant crime perhaps, but Valjean constantly finds himself at odds with police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), whose by-the-books mindset disrupts his gradual reformation in becoming a respectable member of society. In the guise of a well-off factory owner, Valjean's compassion is put to the test when one of his employees (Anne Hathaway) is unjustly dismissed. Regretting his initial ignorance of the situation, Valjean promises to adopt her mistreated daughter child from a couple of exploitive innkeepers.