Hugh Jackman Nears Huge Box Office Breakthrough With New Flick

Hugh Jackman is making waves and nearing major milestones with his new musical. Directed by Craig Brewer and based on a true story, Song Sung Blue tells the touching yet tragic story of Milwaukee musicians Mike (Jackman) and Claire Sardina (Kate Hudson), two “down-on-their-luck performers” who form the Neil Diamond tribute band, Thunder & Lightning, and go on to prove that it’s “never too late to find love and follow your dreams,” per the synopsis.

Song Sung Blue hit theaters on Christmas day and raked in $12 million over the five-day holiday weekend, allowing Jackman to just about reach an impressive $6.5 billion mark in worldwide box office earnings in roles where he serves as the lead actor with a total of $6,499,550,872, according to The Numbers.

He also hit a personal best on Rotten Tomatoes. Song Sung Blue beat his other film appearances for highest audience score, receiving an astounding 98% on the Popcornmeter. Over the course of his incredible, decades-long career, other home-run hits with viewers include Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) which earned 94% with general audiences, The Prestige (2006), which scored 92%, and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and Logan (2017), which both received 91% on the Popcornmeter.

Watch the trailer for Song Sung Blue below.

‘Song Sung Blue’ Is Certified Fresh With Critics

Song Sung Blue didn’t fare quite as well with critics as it did with the average viewer, but it was still Certified Fresh at 76% and earned praise for its authenticity, heart, and stellar performances.

“It only takes a few minutes to be swept up by the music and the delightful chemistry of its stars,” Screen Rant‘s Alex Harrison gushed. “The ride the movie takes you on from there is much better felt than studied.”

“Ignore the publicity bluster, and you’ll find at the core of ‘Song Sung Blue’ the same modest dream to entertain that drives the Sardinas. Is it one of the best films of the year? Certainly not. But a good time at the movies? You betcha.”

As MovieWeb previously reported, film critic Julian Roman called Hudson “an absolute revelation in perhaps her career-best performance,” commending her vocals and “fantastic range and presence” in the role of Claire Sardina.

“It’s her embodiment of Claire’s awful personal struggles that hit like a freight train. What happens to Claire is nearly unthinkable, and gives Song Sung Blue a harrowing second act,” he continued. “The good times stop rolling as their upward trajectory runs into a brick wall as Lightning & Thunder experience a hurricane of despair. Brewer allows darkness to cloud the narrative with ugly realism in intense scenes that are never melodramatic.”

“Tears will flow like rivers as Song Sung Blue goes from unfettered joy to heartbreak with hairspray, sequins, and glorious melodies as a toe-tapping accompaniment.”