The latest Marvel film is the last major blockbuster of the summer, but August is off to a slow start for theaters.
NEW YORK — Marvel’s first family stumbled in theaters in its second weekend, but still held on to the top spot at the box office.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” earned $40 million from 4,125 North American theaters, experiencing a 66% drop from its strong $117.6 million debut. The film shared the top three box office rankings with comedies “The Bad Guys 2” and “The Naked Gun.”
The superhero movie dipped significantly more than Marvel’s previous film, “Thunderbolts,” which took a 55% dive in its second weekend.
“First Steps” represents the final major blockbuster of the summer, adding nearly $40 million internationally in its second weekend, bringing the film’s global total to $369 million. Despite its strong reviews, the movie’s box office decline was surprising, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Although the film’s opening weekend gave a strong push toward achieving the $4 billion summer box office benchmark, August began slowly, Dergarabedian noted.
“It’s a challenging goal, but it’s attainable. Success depends on each film standing on its own,” Dergarabedian explained. “Achieving great reviews and maintaining market longevity will be crucial.”
This weekend, the newcomer comedy “The Bad Guys 2” secured second place at the box office, grossing $22 million from 3,852 North American theaters. These figures aligned with projections and matched the $23 million debut of the series’ first movie in 2022. Paramount’s slapstick comedy, “The Naked Gun,” which also premiered this weekend, grabbed the third box office spot, earning $17 million from 3,344 locations.
Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, stated that the successful debut for “The Bad Guys 2,” along with favorable audience reactions, “should lead to a lengthy and prosperous run well into the fall, extending beyond the summer.”
James Gunn’s “Superman,” which opened four weekends ago and already crossed $550 million globally, earned $13.8 million domestically this weekend, taking the fourth spot. “Jurassic World Rebirth” followed with $8.7 million.
The horror movie “Together” had a strong debut weekend, coming in at sixth place and earning $6.8 million domestically, proof that August is a month for edgier and off-beat films, Dergarabedian said.
“That’s what this month is about. It’s not just about box office,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s also about providing really interesting, rewarding movie-going experiences for audiences.”
Dergarabedian said he expects highly-anticipated movies hitting theaters in the next few weeks — including “Freakier Friday,” and Zach Cregger’s horror movie “Weapons” — to give August a needed boost.
The box office is currently up 9.5% from last year.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $40 million.
2. “The Bad Guys 2,” $22.2 million.
3. “The Naked Gun,” $17 million.
4. “Superman,” $13.8 million.
5. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $8.7 million.
6. “Together,” $6.8 million.
7. “F1: The Movie,” $4.1 million.
8. “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $2.7 million.
9. “Smurfs,” $1.8 million.
10. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $1.4 million.
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