In its second weekend, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" maintained its position at the top of the North American box office, despite experiencing a significant decline in ticket sales. The film grossed approximately $40 million from 4,125 theaters, reflecting a 66% drop from its initial debut weekend earnings of $117.6 million. This decline is notably steeper than that of Marvel's previous release, "Thunderbolts," which saw a 55% drop in its second weekend.
Globally, "First Steps" has amassed a total of $369 million, including nearly $40 million from international markets in its second weekend. Industry analysts, including Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore, noted that the film's strong reviews made the drop-off unexpected. The summer box office, while buoyed by the film's initial success, is off to a slow start in August, leading to questions about the longevity of upcoming releases.
Following "The Fantastic Four," the animated sequel "The Bad Guys 2" secured second place, earning $22 million, aligning with projections and comparable to its predecessor's performance. The debut of Paramount's "The Naked Gun" landed in third place with $17 million.
Other films in the top rankings included "Superman," which grossed $13.8 million, and "Jurassic World Rebirth" at $8.7 million. The horror film "Together" debuted in sixth place, earning $6.8 million.
As the summer progresses, industry expectations remain high for forthcoming films such as "Freakier Friday" and "Weapons," which analysts hope will invigorate box office performance in August. Overall, the box office is reporting a 9.5% increase compared to the previous year.