‘The Wolverine’ On-Track To Top Weekend Box Office

James Mangold’s The Wolverine is expected to slash its way to the top of the box office this weekend.

The latest entry in the beloved Marvel character’s cinematic saga may be getting mediocre reviews ahead of its release, but that probably won’t stop the flick from making a ton of money.

Industry insiders believe The Wolverine could make around $65 million at the box office over the course of the weekend. The sequel is expected to do a considerable amount of business overseas as well.

Fortunately for the folks at 20th Century Fox, the summer’s final superhero outing is really the only major release hitting theaters today (July 26). Fruitvale Station and The Way, Way Back will expand into more theaters this weekend, though they aren’t expected to pose a serious threat.

Reports suggest that Fox spent approximately $120 million on The Wolverine, so a $65 million bow is definitely what the studio needs in order to start recouping its investment. However, the film will likely make quite a bit of cash when it arrives on home video later this year.

During a recent chat with the folks at Digital Spy, director James Mangold said that a “bloodier” version of the flick will be released on Blu-ray. Since 20th Century Fox was aiming for a teen-friendly PG-13 rating, some of the more gruesome moments ultimately hit the cutting room floor.

“I’m very happy with the [theatrical] cut. The studio was very generous in terms of letting me finish the movie as I wanted. But I do think we will have a slightly more violent version. An unrated, a bloodier version,” he explained.

Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, and Brian Tee star in the follow-up. The film is in theaters right now.

Are you planning to see director James Mangold’s The Wolverine this weekend?

[Image via 20th Century Fox]