Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps Dominates Box Office Despite Significant Drop
Marvel’s latest blockbuster, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, continues to lead the domestic box office, earning an impressive $40 million in its second weekend. However, the film experienced a concerning 66% drop in ticket sales, a decline that surprised many after its stellar debut of $117.6 million the previous weekend, fueled by positive audience and critical reception. While this drop is notable, it is not entirely uncommon within the superhero genre, and there remains a promising window for further earnings as summer progresses.
Initially, Fantastic Four aimed for a domestic gross exceeding $200 million by Sunday, but projections now suggest a 10-day total of approximately $198.4 million. For comparison, Superman saw a 53% drop in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative earnings to $236.2 million—without the competition from another major superhero film. Internationally, Fantastic Four gained traction, adding $39.6 million to reach a global total of $368.7 million, with $170.3 million coming from international markets. This figure is closing in on Superman‘s overseas total of $235 million.
Despite the drop, Fantastic Four managed to fend off competition from Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s new family film The Bad Guys 2 and Paramount’s comedy Naked Gun, which opened in second and third place, respectively. The Bad Guys 2 exceeded expectations with a domestic opening of $22.2 million, marking the second-best animated launch of the year. The sequel, based on Aaron Blabey’s popular book series about a group of animal outlaws, features returning voice talents like Sam Rockwell and Awkwafina, as well as new additions such as Zazie Beetz and Richard Ayoade. In this installment, the animal crew attempts to stay on the straight and narrow but faces new challenges when they come out of retirement to thwart a heist involving the “Bad Girls,” voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, and Natasha Lyonne.
Meanwhile, the revival of The Naked Gun, featuring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, opened well with $17 million in North America and $38.5 million globally. This comedy marks the final release from the current version of Paramount Pictures ahead of its merger with David Ellison’s Skydance, set to be finalized on August 7. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, this film brings Neeson into his first leading comedic role as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., who follows in the footsteps of his father, the beloved character from the original Naked Gun series. The film has received an A-CinemaScore from audiences, indicating a positive reception.
In other box office news, Superman, now in its fourth week, has amassed a global total of $551.2 million, with $13.9 million coming from domestic sales and $11.2 million from international markets this weekend. The film marks a significant achievement for DC Studios, led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, as it becomes the first DC title in years to surpass the $300 million mark in North America.
Additionally, the weekend welcomed an intriguing new entry, Neon’s Together, a horror-comedy featuring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, which opened in sixth place with a three-day total of $6.8 million and a five-day debut of $10.9 million.
Stay tuned for more updates as the summer box office heats up!
