“I’m still in a little shock, I was worried”: Hugh Jackman Was Stunned After His Musical Movie Grossed Over $429 Million on Box Office

Hugh Jackman is an extremely dedicated actor who has explored a variety of genres, Although he is known worldwide for playing Wolverine in the X-Men films, he has played many compelling characters that have showcased him as a versatile actor. Films like The Fountain, The Prestige, Real Steel, Les Misérables, Prisoners, Eddie the Eagle, and The Front Runner show his versatility as an actor by playing a wide range of characters with varying intensity and dramatic heft.

Arguably one of the most unique films of his career is The Greatest Showman, a musical where Jackman plays P.T Barnum a famous American showman. He had never been front and center leading a musical before. It was a huge risk for everyone involved and thus they were worried about how the film would turn out at the box office when it was released.

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Hugh Jackman Was Petrified of The Low Opening Numbers Of The Film

The Greatest Showman was a huge risk for everyone involved in the film including Hugh Jackman who had never been the lead in a musical film before. It was something out of the box for him and now what people expected out of him. But he and the makers of the film were confident of the material they had. The opening numbers of the film started very low and Jackman was scared that the film might flop. He told RadioTimes,

“I’m still a little bit in shock. Yeah, I was worried! Everyone was worried. And by the way, when we opened, I believe we were the second worst opening of any movie in Hollywood history. I probably had good reason to be worried!”

Jackman’s fears did not last long as the film’s box office grew significantly as fans seemed to enjoy the fun and dazzling musical numbers performed by Jackman and his cast. The film became a hit at the box office grossing $434 million against its $84 million production budget. (according to Box Office Mojo)

Also read: “What are ya – a poof?”: Hugh Jackman Had His Dreams Shattered At the Mere Age of 10 After Being Humiliated By His Family For His Talents

The Greatest Showman Was More Physically Challenging Than Wolverine

Hugh Jackman had to prepare extensively for the difficult musical numbers (dancing and singing) for The Greatest Showman. The physical and vocal preparation was an exhausting but exciting one for Jackman as he started preparing for his role, 2years in advance. He told ABC News,

“We had 10 weeks of rehearsal but I was vocally preparing two years before. And I literally came straight from shooting Logan to shooting this, Like I had a week off and I came to it. I can tell you, this was tougher physically. It’s a great thrill, it’s nerve-wracking because I care so much about it, we have become a family. And also I’ve been around long enough to know that these things don’t come along very often.”

Jackman is set to return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 alongside Ryan Reynolds. It is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 3, 2024. Fans can watch Jackman’s magnificent performance in The Greatest Showman on Disney+.

Also read: Deadpool 3 Star Hugh Jackman Regrets Putting “T*sticles Around His Neck” For Arguably the Worst Movie of His Acting Career

Sources: RadioTimes, ABC News