This weekend, the executives at Marvel Studios can breathe a sigh of relief as Fantastic Four: First Steps has successfully ended the studio’s recent trend of disappointing box office performances. With a robust opening weekend gross of 8 million, it marks a significant improvement, even though it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Marvel’s earlier successes. For comparison, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania debuted with $120 million just three years ago, which was deemed underwhelming at the time. Nevertheless, this new entry is a much-needed recovery following the lackluster performances of Captain America: Brave New World at $88 million and Thunderbolts which managed only $75 million. Although we initially projected a lower opening, it still falls short of the recent success of James Gunn’s Superman, which premiered two weeks ago with an impressive $125 million.
This achievement is a significant milestone for Marvel’s First Family, whose history at the box office has been rocky. The initial Fantastic Four films from the 2000s had disappointing starts, with openings of $56 and $57 million respectively, and the ill-fated 2015 reboot crashed and burned with just $25.6 million. This latest release represents their strongest opening to date and sets the stage for their upcoming appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, where fans will finally see the highly anticipated debut of Doctor Doom, portrayed by the iconic Robert Downey Jr..
Meanwhile, Superman continues its strong performance at the box office, adding $24.8 million this weekend, which brings its domestic total to $289 million—just shy of the coveted $300 million mark. In a related note, Jurassic World: Rebirth crossed that threshold this weekend, raking in $13 million and pushing its total to $301 million. The film F1 secured fourth place with $6.2 million, bringing its overall domestic earnings to $165 million. Analysts predict it will peak around $175 million domestically, although its international numbers are more robust due to the sport’s global appeal.
On a contrasting note, Paramount’s Smurfs reboot experienced a steep decline of 51%, only managing to earn $5.4 million this weekend, resulting in a total of just $22 million. This indicates that the franchise may be reaching its end. Things were even worse for the sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer, which plummeted by 60%, earning a mere $5.1 million and accumulating only $23.5 million overall. Given these figures, it’s safe to say this franchise is likely dead and buried—perhaps with a rusty fish hook as a final metaphor.
In brighter news, the How to Train Your Dragon series continues to show resilience, adding another $2.8 million this weekend and bringing its domestic total to $257 million. Conversely, A24’s star-studded film Eddington, featuring talents like Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, saw a dramatic drop of 62% to $1.66 million, resulting in a disappointing $806 per-screen average. It appears the era of Ari Aster receiving unlimited funding may be over.
In other news, the Bollywood sensation Saiyaara managed to earn $1.29 million, bringing its domestic total to $3.2 million and making it the second-biggest Hindi-language release of the year. Meanwhile, Sony Classics’ Oh. Hi, which stars Molly Gordon from The Bear alongside Logan Lerman, opened to a modest $1.13 million.
Looking ahead, next weekend will see the release of Paramount’s The Naked Gun reboot. The question remains: Can Liam Neeson channel his inner Leslie Nielsen? We invite you to share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below.
