Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” is facing an uncertain future after losing steam in its second weekend, signaling that the comic book adventure might not be connecting with audiences beyond its core demographic of superhero fans.
Despite a healthy debut of $117.6 million, the film dropped by 66% to $40 million from 4,125 theaters, exceeding analyst expectations for a decline of 55-60%. This significant fall is surprising given the film’s positive reviews and word-of-mouth, as well as its clear competition in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The drop marks one of the steepest second-weekend declines for Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, with only “The Marvels” experiencing a greater decline. The film has generated $198 million domestically and $368 million globally, which is still better than some of this year’s prior theatrical disappointments.
Analysts attribute the drop to “Fantastic Four” being a lower-tier Marvel franchise that won’t reach top-tier status like Avengers. With upcoming films like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Avengers: Doomsday,” and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” the MCU should regain its box office stride.
Newcomers to the box office include Universal’s animation sequel “The Bad Guys 2,” which opened with $22.8 million, and Paramount’s slapstick comedy “The Naked Gun,” which debuted with $17 million. Neon’s body-horror film “Together” also received a modest opening of $6.8 million.
Overall, the box office is up 9.5% compared to last year but still behind 2019 levels by 23%. With summer revenues nearing $3 billion, some analysts predict that the next few months could see the benchmark of $4 billion reached.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/fantastic-four-box-office-craters-naked-gun-opening-weekend-1236477352