Thunderbolts* had a solid start earlier this year, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps has now overtaken it in both hype and numbers. Marvel’s latest addition brought the iconic team into the MCU with a $117.6 million domestic debut (per Box Office Mojo), stronger than anything the franchise had seen this year.
However, even with that momentum, its second weekend has shown a clear drop. It landed at $40 million, a 66% fall from its opening, per Screenrant.
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The decline is heavier than expected, and steeper than what Thunderbolts* ( $74.3m domestic opening) experienced in its second week, which held better with a 56% dip. Yet, despite that, Fantastic Four continues to lead at the box office, holding onto the No. 1 spot again while fending off two wide new releases.
DreamWorks’ animated sequel The Bad Guys 2 and Liam Neeson’s return in The Naked Gun took the next two slots, pulling in $22.8 million and $17 million, respectively. Neither managed to knock Marvel off the top, but they have reshaped the box office chart.
Neeson’s film marks his best opening in a decade, while The Bad Guys 2 nearly matched the first movie’s pandemic-era debut.
Box Office Shake-Up Pushes Other Films Down
Elsewhere on the chart, Superman dropped to No. 4, losing 44% of its earnings from the previous weekend. Jurassic World Rebirth also slid down a spot to No. 5. Two previous top 5 entries, F1 The Movie and Smurfs, fell further behind, down to No. 7 and No. 9.
A horror newcomer, Together, landed at No. 6 with $6.8 million, quietly pushing F1 out of the top 6 entirely. It is now one of the rare few from indie label Neon to cross $10 million domestically.
Budget Could Challenge Fantastic Four’s Profit Path
Fantastic Four now faces more challenging financial math. With a production budget topping $200 million, it is not just about topping the charts; it needs to keep consistently drawing audiences in. Its break-even mark could be nearly $500 million worldwide, a big ask even for a Marvel title.
While the film had a better opening than Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, both had smaller budgets and still struggled to turn a profit.
The superhero crown remains with the Fantastic Four for now. Even with the drop, it is still outperforming its MCU competition. However, with a high budget and thinner week-to-week gains, the film’s long-term success may rely on substantial international numbers and continued hold through the next few weekends.
