A few years ago, no one would have made an R-rated "X-Men" movie, aged the characters well into their Social Security years, premiered it at the Berlin Film Festival, and released it in March -- under a title that does not have the words "X-Men" or "Wolverine" in it.
And yet, here we are, with "Logan" opening the first weekend of March with an estimated $85.3 million, boasting the best debut for a "Wolverine" film and the fifth-biggest debut ever for an R-rated film.
Here's how "Logan" defied the odds, the competition, and the old rules of superhero filmmaking.
But Fox's "Deadpool" proved last winter that, not only is the R rating no impediment to box office success, it also satisfies the clamor of an adult fanbase, one that's big enough to replace all those under-17 kids. According to exit polling, some 83 percent of the audience was between 18 and 44, the demographic sweet spot that most movies would kill to hit. Granted, making an R-worthy movie isn't going to be the answer for every superhero (please, Warner Bros., no one wants to see an R-rated Superman), but at least some spandex-clad stars are ready to grow up.
This March, "Logan" is just the opening salvo in a month that will see "Beauty and the Beast," "Kong: Skull Island," "Power Rangers," "CHiPs," and "Ghost in the Shell." In earlier years, these would all have been summer releases, but now, they're the sort of movies that make March worth nearly 10 percent of a year's box office total.
Again, not every superhero movie is poised to take advantage of such an event, but franchise finales tend to draw fans out to theaters. You don't want to miss your last chance to see Wolverine slash his enemies -- or at least, your last chance until some new star takes up the adamantium claws.
