Despite some negative prerelease buzz, mixed reviews, and a furry blue Kelsey Grammer in a leather vest, X-Men: The Last Stand demolished Memorial Day box office records with a huge $122.9 million domestic four-day gross. It's the latest impressive haul for a franchise that just keeps getting bigger: In 2000, the first X-Men pulled in $157.7 million total, while 2003's X2 took home $214.9 million. With The Last Stand this X trilogy has come to an end, but the film's best-known character, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), is set to live on in a highly anticipated spin-off, which could spawn sequels of its own. That's why the blade-bearing mutant tops our list of film's most powerful characters.
1 WOLVERINE
A superhero with mutton-chops? Hey, he must be doing something right.
Arguably the most popular X-Man, Wolverine is our pick for Hollywood's
top character based on a devoted, built-in audience and early excitement
over his planned solo flick, which could be out as soon as 2008. No
director or costars have been announced, but with Jackman almost certain
to return, it might be the biggest X yet.
2 HARRY POTTER
Few other teenagers could boast of vanquishing evil wizards and box
office records even before puberty began to take root. The most recent
film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has raked in $290 million,
bringing the series' total box office to more than $1 billion. The sixth
chapter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — directed by series
newcomer David Yates (The Girl in the Café) — will hit theaters next
summer.
3 SPIDER-MAN
The webslinger's first two films have grossed a combined $777.1 million.
Spider-Man 3, due in May 2007, looks to repeat their success with a
secret-but-much-talked-about plot rumored to involve fanboy faves
Sandman and Venom. Director Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire, and Kirsten Dunst
are all back on board.
4 SHREK
This green fella is the world's ugliest movie star — and one of the most
successful. The original Shrek earned more than $260 million at the box
office, and the franchise really hit the big time with Shrek 2's $436.5
million bounty. The animated films attract not only a wide audience but
also A-list vocal talent: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz,
Antonio Banderas, and — for Shrek 3, due in theaters May 2007 — Justin
Timberlake.
5 ROBERT LANGDON
The Da Vinci Code's film adaptation may have received a lukewarm
reaction, but it's still a hit, raking in $144.9 million ($430.3 million
worldwide). That success means there may be at least one more Langdon
film; Sony just hired Code screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to adapt prequel
Angels & Demons. So far Hanks hasn't signed on, but even with a
different star, it should still be a major draw.
6 JASON BOURNE
The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy made $121.6 and $176.1
million, respectively, thanks to Matt Damon's brooding performance and
directors Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass' refreshingly stripped-down
action scenes. (Bourne toppled a bad guy with a rolled-up magazine!) The
Bourne Ultimatum, expected next summer, should solidify Bourne's status
as Hollywood's most exciting action hero.
