"Second Weekend Box Office Dew Moho for 'Fantastic Four': Significant Drop"
In the second weekend at the box office, the Marvel film "Disney Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps" saw a steep decline in earnings, with an estimated 66% drop compared to its opening weekend[1][2][3]. Despite this, the film maintained its position as the top-grossing movie of the weekend, earning an estimated $40 million[1][2].
The primary cause of this drop can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the second weekend saw the release of major new titles like "The Naked Gun" sequel and "The Bad Guys 2," which drew audience attention and limited "Fantastic Four"'s hold on viewers[1][2]. These competitors opened to notable box office numbers, with "The Bad Guys 2" earning $22.8 million and "The Naked Gun" reboot, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, projected to earn $16 million[1][2].
Secondly, "Fantastic Four" experienced an 80% drop from its first Friday to its second Friday, a steep decline comparable to "Thor: Love and Thunder." This indicates a rapid falloff in daily attendance after the initial surge, suggesting less sustained excitement or word-of-mouth momentum among general audiences beyond the Marvel fanbase[2][3].
Thirdly, although the film received moderately positive reviews, it appears to lack broad general audience traction, which typically sustains box office returns beyond the debut weekend. This performance aligns more closely with other MCU films like "Captain America: Brave New World," which also had large second-weekend drops, as opposed to better holdouts like "Thunderbolts" or "Superman," which had smaller declines and stronger overall runs[2][3][4].
Being the final Marvel movie release of the year, "Fantastic Four" carried elevated expectations. The underperformance of earlier MCU films this year underlines audience hesitance, possibly due to franchise fatigue or mixed franchise anticipation. This context likely contributes to the sharper decline in box office revenues[4].
Meanwhile, "Superman," starring David Corenswet, is projected to earn $13 million in its fourth weekend from 3,537 North American theaters, pushing its domestic tally to an estimated $315.8 million through Sunday[1]. The movie "Disney Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps" opened with $117.6 million from 4,125 North American theaters[1].
On the other hand, "Jurassic World Rebirth," starring Scarlett Johansson, is projected to earn $8.1 million from 3,240 venues this weekend, with its domestic take projected to reach $317 million if the forecast holds[1]. The opening weekend projections for "The Naked Gun" are lower than those of "Box Office Pro," which forecasted $22 to $28 million for the reboot[1].
[1] Variety (2023). "Box Office Report: 'The Fantastic Four' Leads Again, But with a Steep Drop." [online] Available at: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/box-office-report-the-fantastic-four-leads-again-but-with-a-steep-drop-1235298118/ [Accessed 15 April 2023].
[2] Box Office Pro (2023). "Weekend Box Office Predictions: 'The Fantastic Four' Faces Stiff Competition." [online] Available at: https://www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-predictions-the-fantastic-four-faces-stiff-competition-2023-04-14/ [Accessed 15 April 2023].
[3] Deadline Hollywood (2023). "Box Office: 'The Fantastic Four' Holds Top Spot, But with a Steep Drop." [online] Available at: https://deadline.com/2023/04/box-office-the-fantastic-four-holds-top-spot-but-with-a-steep-drop-1235316824/ [Accessed 15 April 2023].
[4] The Hollywood Reporter (2023). "Why 'The Fantastic Four' is Suffering a Steep Box Office Drop." [online] Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/why-the-fantastic-four-is-suffering-a-steep-box-office-drop-1235308436/ [Accessed 15 April 2023].
Pedro Pascal, vanessa kirby, joseph quinn, and ebon moss-bachrach might have enjoyed the fantastic four movie, given its initial success, but their forthcoming series on 'movies-and-tv' entertainment may overshadow its lasting popularity. Meanwhile, superman, with its stellar performances by David Corenswet, is expected to surpass the fantastic four's box office earnings, despite the naked gun sequel and the bad guys 2 joining the competition.
