James Gunn’s Superman continues to crush Marvel’s Fantastic Four at the box office as of Wednesday.
Fantastic Four Drops After Strong Start
Fantastic Four came out strong—nearly beating Superman’s opening weekend—but quickly lost momentum as the weekend progressed.
Expectations that fans who missed Fantastic Four due to Comic-Con would lift its box office have also come up short.
And no, the excuse that Superman had early Prime Video screenings doesn’t hold water. Those fans were always going to show up on opening weekend anyway.
Update: Fantastic Four is facing a massive 66% decline in its second weekend compared to Superman‘s 53.2%.
Domestic Box Office: Fantastic Four vs. Superman
After six days, Fantastic Four: First Steps has pulled in $150.9 million domestically.
Superman? $166.8 million.
Better Than Marvel’s Other Flops
Still, Fantastic Four is doing better than Marvel’s recent flops like Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World.
For comparison:
- Captain America 4: $106 million (six days)
- Thunderbolts: $91 million — yikes
- The Marvels: $53.5 million — LOL
How Superman Is Holding Up Midweek
Gunn’s Superman is also showing decent weekday legs. It’s holding up well midweek, even outpacing The Batman during weekdays (but still trailing it on weekends). The flick recently passed the $300M domestic mark.
International Box Office Still Weak for Both Films
Just like with Superman, international numbers for Fantastic Four aren’t being updated during the week, and likely for the same reason. Both are struggling overseas.
Right now, Superman sits at $214.1 million internationally after opening with $95 million.
Fantastic Four opened internationally with $99 million.
Worldwide grosses
As of Wednesday, The Fantastic Four: First Steps worldwide box office is at $249,971,547.
Superman after twenty days is at $513,790,621.
Comic-Con insiders filled us in that the budgets for both movies are a lot higher than being reported. If that is the case, that means their break-even numbers are also a lot higher.
Weekend two a big test
This coming weekend will be a big test for Fantastic Four.
Superman dropped a less than expected 53.2% in its second weekend.
Estimates offer Fantastic Four will see a slightly bigger drop, possibly a 55% to 60% decline.
