Movies

Marvel returns to form as ‘Fantastic Four’ soars to $118 million at the box office

BBG News

This past weekend saw an exciting revival for the Marvel’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps” as it claimed the number one position at the box office, bringing the Walt Disney Company-owned superhero series back on track.

In its debut weekend, the movie brought in $118 million in North America and Canada, while earning a total of $218 million worldwide. The film, featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, marks another adaptation of the comic book franchise, but it’s the first since The Walt Disney Company took ownership.

Previously belonging to 21st Century Fox, “The Fantastic Four” is currently part of Disney’s extensive collection of intellectual properties following their $71.3-billion purchase of the studio’s entertainment assets in 2019.

Disney has successfully monetized their control over “Deadpool” and “X-Men” characters – the 2024 movie titled “Deadpool and Wolverine” generated earnings exceeding a billion dollars at worldwide box offices.

Fox manufactured and distributed three “Fantastic Four” films, all of which failed to impress both viewers and reviewers. The 2015 reboot, in particular, received a lot of negative feedback.

This time around, the quality of the film wasn’t up for debate. It received an impressive 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-” grade from CinemaScore’s audience survey.

The film surpassed the projected earnings before its release,” or more casually, “The movie made more than we thought it would at the box office.” The initial expectation for “First Steps” was that it would earn between $100 million and $110 million during its opening weekend, with a reported production cost of approximately $200 million.

The positive response to “The Fantastic Four” is a welcome change for Disney and Marvel Studios, as they’ve faced difficulties in recent times to match their past box office successes from their superhero movies.

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I’ve got to share my thoughts on two recent blockbusters that caught my attention. The Anthony Mackie-fronted “Captain America: Brave New World” garnered somewhat mixed responses from critics but managed to rake in an impressive $415 million at the global box office. On the other hand, the ensemble flick “Thunderbolts” was praised by many reviewers, yet it only earned $382 million worldwide.

Hollywood Inc.

Following the conclusion of Chris Evans’ Captain America saga, Marvel is now planning to pass the superhero mantle to Anthony Mackie, offering a new viewpoint yet keeping the familiarity of his face.

Earlier this year, Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, admitted that in their enthusiasm to create more content for the Disney+ streaming service, they may have slightly veered from their focus. He emphasized that simply producing more doesn’t always guarantee better quality.

He stated during a meeting with financial experts in May that if Marvel streamlines their production and devotes more attention to their movies, it could lead to improved overall quality.

A great deal of excitement built up for “The Fantastic Four,” and Disney pulled out all the stops when it came to promotion. They even hired a skywriter to draw giant 4’s in the sky over downtown Los Angeles on the day of the release, and following the screening, they put on an impressive drone display outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Endgame’, the brand has a solid base. However, when the right film is released, it continues to perform well, as pointed out by Shawn Robbins, a movie analyst at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, in his forecast published on Wednesday.

Over the weekend, I found myself watching the second place finish of Warner Bros.’ DC Studios’ “Superman” movie at the box office, raking in a whopping $24.9 million within the U.S. markets. Globally, it’s already earned an impressive $503 million since its release. As a movie buff, I can’t help but feel excited about this superhero’s journey!

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2025-07-27 19:01

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