Disney’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” stormed the domestic box office, topping superhero competitor “Superman” to finish No. 1 with $118 million.
The reboot was a major comeback for the series, falling within range of analysts’ expectations but short of a hopeful $130 million. “Fantastic Four” is also the best-performing weekend for a Marvel film this year, easily surpassing “Captain America: Brave New World” in February ($88.5 million) and “Thunderbolts” in May ($74.3 million).
“This new phase for Marvel is truly important for the brand,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore, adding that it “doubles down on the ‘Thunderbolts’ success and is showing that audiences love going to superhero movies in the movie theater.”
Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory, called “Fantastic Four” a “zero-homework-required” release, because it stands separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s established storylines.
“That’s exactly where their franchise needs to be right now, as they not only try to keep those die-hard fans but bring back some of the more casual watchers,” said Robbins.
