Fantastic Four: First Steps Rockets Back to No.1 with $11.7M Friday
On Friday in its second weekend, Fantastic Four: First Steps surged back to the No.1 spot at the box office with $11.7 million in ticket sales.
Riley Carter here, officially mildly impressed but only just. Another day, another caped crusade breaking out some serious cash, right?
The Marvel flick that reboots the first family follows Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm. The Numbers reports that this sophomore frame haul pushed its domestic tally to roughly $170 million, with industry estimates via Variety projecting an end-of-weekend total near $198 million. All told, that is already approaching its rumored $200 million production budget.
Back in 2024 the Fantastic Four franchise has had more ups and downs than a tesseract. Previous attempts fell flat, with critics slamming each new take. This reboot marks a modest upgrade in critical reception, though blockbuster fans still want that blockbuster magic. As The Post notes, the film has improved from its “trilogy of terror” but Marvel still seems to be tinkering under the hood of what should be one of their marquee properties.
Variety also suggests that international receipts could add another $50 million to $60 million this weekend, giving the film a global haul approaching the halfway mark of its production budget. That kind of overseas pull is essential for Marvel’s quarterly dividends and confidence in future franchise installments.
Behind the scenes this reboot has been under scrutiny since day one. Fans have watched trailers frame by frame, dissecting every VFX shot and debating casting choices across social platforms. Despite cautious reaction and a history of false starts, this latest take has at least delivered on the headline metric: bringing audiences back to theaters. If it can sustain momentum into week three it might become the most financially viable F4 origin movie yet.
Up next in the rankings was Universal’s animated heist comedy The Bad Guys 2, opening in second with $9.17 million on Friday. Based on the popular children’s book series, the sequel looks to wrap up the weekend around $22.8 million, according to Box Office Pro. It is a solid result but still trails the Fantastic Four reboot by a comfortable margin.
Paramount’s legacy sequel The Naked Gun landed in third place with $6.3 million on opening night. Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson headline the fourth installment of the classic comedy franchise, fuelling dating rumors on the press tour with undeniable on-screen chemistry. Industry trackers predict a three-day domestic total near $16.5 million, which would make it the second strongest opening since 1991’s Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear.
Meanwhile, Superman settled into fourth place with $3.95 million. The James Gunn-directed DC film crossed the $300 million global threshold on Thursday, making it the first DC release to do so since The Batman hit theaters in 2022. Jurassic World Rebirth claimed fifth with $1.543 million, rounding out the top five.
So what does this weekend’s performance say about the superhero landscape in 2024? A sub-$200 million domestic weekend at a $200 million budget may not scream runaway hit, but Fantastic Four: First Steps has at least cleared the bar for sustaining audience interest. Keep an eye on its next drops, both in theaters and on streaming, to see if Marvel’s first family can truly find its footing.
Okay cool, so like, yeah, that happened.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and The Numbers, Variety, New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
