The Fantastic Four: First Steps Retains Top Spot Despite Significant Box Office Drop

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' leads box office but sees a sharp drop in earnings.

Key Points

  • • 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' earned $40 million in its second weekend.
  • • The film's earnings dropped 66% from its debut weekend of $117.6 million.
  • • It has total global earnings of $369 million after two weekends.
  • • Competition includes 'The Bad Guys 2' and 'The Naked Gun'; August has started slowly.

In its second weekend, 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' has topped the North American box office with earnings of $40 million, although it faced a steep 66% drop from its debut weekend, which brought in $117.6 million. These earnings have contributed to a total global haul of $369 million thus far. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, expressed surprise at the film’s decline, especially given its positive critical reception.

The film's performance becomes even more notable in the context of competition within a crowded marketplace, as 'The Bad Guys 2' opened in second place with $22 million and 'The Naked Gun' debuted in third with $17 million. This increase in competition has created a challenging environment for box office growth, with analysts noting that August has begun slowly—potentially impacting overall summer box office targets, which aim for $4 billion. Despite the struggles, the box office is ahead by 9.5% compared to the previous year, fueled also by strong performances from other films like 'Superman' and 'Jurassic World Rebirth'.