LOS ANGELES (AP)

You can't keep a good X-Man down.

Hugh Jackman's prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaped to the top of the box office with a US$87 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates yesterday.

That put the movie right in the pack with the three previous X-Men movies in which Jackman played mutant superhero Wolverine.

The trilogy's final chapter, X-Men: The Last Stand, had the franchise's best opening with US$102.8 million. But Wolverine came in ahead of the first two movies; X-Men did US$54.5 million in its first weekend and X2: X-Men United took in US$85.6 million.

"It's all systems go," said Chris Aronson, distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, which releases the X-Men movies. "Audiences have a huge appetite for Hugh and this character."

swine flu outbreak

Wolverine also pulled in US$73 million in 101 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide total of $160 million. The movie's debut in Mexico was delayed for two weeks because of the swine flu outbreak there.

The Warner Bros romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, debuted in second place with US$15.3 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony Screen Gems' Obsessed, fell to number three with US$12.2 million. The thriller starring Beyonce Knowles raised its 10-day total to US$47 million.

Overall revenues were virtually even with the same weekend a year ago, when Iron Man surprised Hollywood with a bigger-than-expected US$98.6 million debut. Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian estimated this weekend's total receipts at US$160 million, up 0.8 per cent from the Iron Man weekend a year ago.

TOP EARNERS

1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, US$87 million.

2. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, US$15.3 million.

3. Obsessed, US$12.2 million.

4. 17 Again, US$6.4 million.

5. Monsters vs. Aliens, US$5.8 million.

6. The Soloist, US$5.6 million.

8. Earth, US$4.18 million.

7. Fighting, US$4.17 million.

9. Hannah Montana, The Movie, US$4.1 million.

10. State of Play US$3.7 million.