What happened to the box office performance of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"?

The "Fantastic Four" film experienced a sharp 66% drop in its second weekend at the box office, grossing just $40 million domestically.

How does the global performance of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" compare to other recent Marvel films?

The film is proving to be frontloaded both domestically and internationally, putting its chances of reaching $300 million globally in jeopardy, which would make it one of the few films to open to over $100 million but fail to cross the $300 million domestic and $500 million worldwide thresholds.

What challenges is the Marvel Cinematic Universe facing in maintaining audience interest?

The struggles of "Fantastic Four" reflect a broader challenge faced by Disney and Marvel Studios in their efforts to regrow widespread interest in the MCU beyond their hardcore fan base, as recent MCU releases have also struggled to maintain consistent box office performance.

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"Fantastic Four" Fails to Capitalize on Marvel Buzz, Plummets at Box Office

3 Aug

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Summary

"Fantastic Four" suffers sharp 66% drop in second weekend
Overseas performance also frontloaded, global total under $300M
MCU films struggle to maintain audience interest beyond hardcore fans

"Fantastic Four" Fails to Capitalize on Marvel Buzz, Plummets at Box Office

As of August 3rd, 2025, the highly anticipated Marvel Studios release "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" has struggled to maintain its momentum at the box office. After a strong $117.6 million opening weekend, the film has experienced a sharp 66% drop in its second weekend, grossing just $40 million domestically.

Internationally, the film is proving to be equally frontloaded, earning only $39.6 million in its first two weekends, leading to a global total that currently falls short of $300 million. This performance puts "Fantastic Four" at risk of joining the ranks of last year's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" as one of the few films to open to over $100 million but fail to cross the $300 million domestic and $500 million worldwide thresholds.

The struggles of "Fantastic Four" reflect a broader challenge faced by Disney and Marvel Studios in their efforts to regrow widespread interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) beyond their hardcore fan base. Recent MCU releases, such as "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "The Marvels," and "Thunderbolts," have also struggled to maintain consistent box office performance, suggesting that a growing number of former MCU devotees have fallen out of the habit of seeing every single title the franchise has to offer in theaters.

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