Marvel’s First Family Finds Box Office Success
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Marvel’s iconic family has made a significant impact at the box office. “Fantastic Four: First Step,” the inaugural superhero film produced under Kevin Feige and Walt Disney’s direction, raked in an impressive $118 million in its opening weekend.
This puts it behind only a few notable films—specifically “Minecraft Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch,” and “Superman”—for the largest opening. It’s also the best Marvel debut since “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which earned $211 million last summer. Internationally, “Fantastic Four” pulled in $100 million across 52 countries, bringing its global debut total to $218 million. These figures align well with the studio’s projections.
The release followed James Gunn’s “Superman,” which premiered three weeks prior and has already surpassed $500 million in earnings. “Superman” secured a second-place finish in the U.S. this weekend with $24.9 million, highlighting another strong player in the comic book genre.
As for the success of “First Step” and “Superman,” it raises questions about the so-called superhero fatigue. I think it’s less about audience weariness with superhero films and more about the quality of movies released recently.
“First Step” represents a fresh attempt to translate the adventures of a superhuman family onto the big screen, especially after earlier adaptations didn’t fare well. The film draws inspiration from the original Marvel comics and is set in a retro-futuristic world. The Fantastic Four consists of a family of astronauts who gain remarkable powers after exposure to cosmic rays during 1960s missions.
The family includes Reed Richards (played by Pedro Pascal), who can stretch his body to extraordinary lengths, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who can go invisible, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) who becomes a fiery human torch, and Ben Grimm (Evon Moss Bacharach), characterized by his stone-like strength.
The narrative unfolds four years after the family acquired their abilities, showcasing Reed’s inventions transforming technology while Sue’s diplomatic influence fosters global peace.
Both audiences and critics have shown enthusiasm for the film. Rated at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, “First Step” is receiving positive feedback from exit polls during its opening weekend. Notably, about 46% of viewers opted to watch it in premium formats like IMAX.
Marvel is evidently working to rekindle audience interest in their films and characters. This year, a couple of previous titles did not reach the sky-high box office numbers of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which grossed over $1.3 billion. However, “First Step” seems to be a positive shift, especially given the mixed reviews of “Captain America: Brave New World,” which earned $415 million globally. Another title, Thunderbolts, despite critical feedback, managed to make around $382 million worldwide.
For years, characters from the Fantastic Four were under the 20th Century Fox umbrella. There were two lackluster films in the mid-2000s, though Chris Evans did bring some charm as the human torch in one of them. In 2015, an attempt was made to revitalize the franchise with Michael B. Jordan that ultimately fell flat. Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox’s assets for $71 billion in 2019, these characters were given another shot at the big screen.
The performance of “Fantastic Four” over the weekend slightly underwhelmed rival studios’ expectations, but it’s anticipated to continue performing well through August.
While established films maintained their positions, a newcomer, the dark romantic comedy “Ah, hello!” managed to enter the rankings, earning $1.1 million from 866 screens.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” took third place in its fourth weekend, pulling in $13 million, followed by “F1” at $6.2 million. Brad Pitt’s racing film has also crossed the $500 million mark globally. “Smurfs” rounded out the top five with $5.5 million in its second weekend.
Currently, box office revenues are up over 12% compared to last year.
Top 10 Films by Domestic Box Office Revenue
Based on estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, here are the top films:
- “Fantastic Four: First Step,” $118 million.
- “Superman,” $24.9 million.
- “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $13 million.
- “F1: Movie,” $6.2 million.
- “Smurfs,” $5.4 million.
- “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $5.1 million.
- “How to Train a Dragon,” $2.8 million.
- “Eddington,” $1.7 million.
- “Saiyaara,” $1.3 million.
- “Ah, hello!,” $1.1 million.
