“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” Dominates Second Weekend Amidst Steep Drop
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marvel’s highly anticipated film, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” maintained its lead at the North American box office in its second weekend, pulling in $40 million from 4,125 theaters. However, the superhero epic experienced a substantial 66% decline in earnings from its impressive $117.6 million opening weekend. This significant dip surpassed the 55% second-weekend drop seen by Marvel’s previous release, “Thunderbolts.”
Despite the steeper-than-expected fall, the film’s global cumulative gross now stands at $369 million, bolstered by an additional nearly $40 million from international markets in its second frame. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, expressed surprise at the pronounced drop-off, especially given the film’s generally positive critical reception. “First Steps” is noted as the final major blockbuster of the summer season, placing additional pressure on its sustained performance.
Newcomers Challenge the Top Ranks
The weekend also saw strong performances from two new comedic releases. Universal Pictures’ animated sequel, “The Bad Guys 2,” debuted in second place, securing $22 million from 3,852 North American theaters. This opening aligns closely with industry projections and mirrored the first film’s $23 million debut in 2022. Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, commented optimistically on the film’s prospects, stating that its solid debut and strong audience scores “should point to a very long, very successful run through not only the rest of the summer, but really, I think into the fall.”
Paramount’s slapstick comedy, “The Naked Gun,” also made a notable entry, landing in third position with $17 million from 3,344 locations in its opening weekend.
Steady Earners and August Trends
Rounding out the top five, James Gunn’s “Superman” continued its successful run, taking fourth place with an additional $13.8 million domestically. The DC Comics adaptation has already surpassed $550 million globally after just four weekends in theaters. Following closely, “Jurassic World Rebirth” earned $8.7 million for the fifth spot.
The horror genre also saw a promising debut with “Together,” which secured sixth place and $6.8 million domestically. Dergarabedian highlighted this as evidence that August often proves to be a lucrative month for “edgier and off-beat films,” offering diverse movie-going experiences beyond traditional blockbusters.
Summer Box Office Outlook
While “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” initial success helped propel the summer box office, August has begun with a slower pace, making the pursuit of the $4 billion summer benchmark a “tough lift,” according to Dergarabedian. He emphasized the necessity for all upcoming films to demonstrate significant “staying power” and positive word-of-mouth through strong reviews to achieve this target.
Despite the recent fluctuations, the overall domestic box office remains robust, currently standing 9.5% higher than figures from the previous year. Industry analysts anticipate a boost from upcoming releases in the coming weeks, including “Freakier Friday” and Zach Cregger’s new horror film, “Weapons.”
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office (Estimated Ticket Sales, Friday-Sunday)
- “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” – $40 million
- “The Bad Guys 2” – $22.2 million
- “The Naked Gun” – $17 million
- “Superman” – $13.8 million
- “Jurassic World Rebirth” – $8.7 million
- “Together” – $6.8 million
- “F1: The Movie” – $4.1 million
- “I Know What You Did Last Summer” – $2.7 million
- “Smurfs” – $1.8 million
- “How to Train Your Dragon” – $1.4 million
