The suits at Marvel are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief this weekend, as Fantastic Four: First Steps has finally broken the studio’s recent streak of underwhelming box office openings. While its $118 million debut isn’t quite the juggernaut it would have been during Marvel’s peak—Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania opened to $120 million just three years ago and was considered a disappointment—it’s still a welcome rebound after Captain America: Brave New World ($88 million) and Thunderbolts ($75 million). We expected it to open lower in our predictions. That said, it does fall slightly short of James Gunn’s Superman, which opened two weeks ago to $125 million.
Still, it’s a major win for Marvel’s First Family, whose cinematic track record has been less than stellar. The original 2000s Fantastic Four films debuted to $56 and $57 million respectively, while the ill-fated 2015 reboot sputtered out with just $25.6 million. This is by far their best opening and sets the stage for their next big-screen appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature the long-awaited debut of Doctor Doom—played by none other than Robert Downey Jr.
Meanwhile, Superman continues to perform well, adding $24.8 million this weekend to bring its domestic total to $289 million—just shy of the $300 million milestone. Jurassic World: Rebirth hit that mark this weekend with a $13 million haul, bringing its total to $301 million. F1 came in fourth with $6.2 million, pushing its domestic total to $165 million. It’s likely to top out around $175 million domestically, though its overseas numbers are stronger thanks to the sport’s global popularity.
On the flip side, Paramount’s Smurfs reboot took a steep 51% drop, earning just $5.4 million for a weak $22 million total—this franchise looks well and truly finished. Things were even worse for I Know What You Did Last Summer, with the sequel crashing 60% to $5.1 million and a $23.5 million total. Consider this franchise dead and buried—possibly with a rusty fish hook.
One series still holding strong is How to Train Your Dragon, which added another $2.8 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to $257 million. A24’s star-studded Eddington, despite boasting Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, collapsed 62% to $1.66 million, with a dismal $806 per-screen average. The days of Ari Aster getting a blank check may be over.
Elsewhere, Bollywood hit Saiyaara earned $1.29 million for a $3.2 million domestic total, making it the year’s second-biggest Hindi-language release. Sony Classics’ Oh. Hi, starring The Bear’s Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, opened to a modest $1.13 million.
Next weekend brings Paramount’s The Naked Gun reboot. Can Liam Neeson channel his inner Leslie Nielsen? Let us know what you think in the comments.
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantastic Four: First Steps | $118 M | $118 M |
| 2 | Superman | $24.86 M | $289.5 M |
| 3 | Jurassic World: Rebirth | $13 M | $301.5 M |
| 4 | F1 | $6.2 M | $165.55 M |
| 5 | Smurfs | $5.4 M | $22.7 M |
| 6 | I Know What You Did Last Summer | $5.1 M | $23.552 M |
| 7 | How to Train Your Dragon | $2.8 M | $257 M |
| 8 | Eddington | $1.664 M | $8.1 M |
| 9 | Saiyaara | $1.285 M | $3.245 M |
| 10 | Oh, Hi | $1.13 M | $1.13 M |
