The latest weekend box office results paint a dramatic picture of shifting audience preferences and studio fortunes. While one highly anticipated superhero film faces a steep decline, a classic comedy franchise reboot surprisingly captivated moviegoers. This weekend’s numbers reveal critical insights into current theatrical performance, with both major tentpoles and niche releases making significant waves.
A Staggering Fall: The Fantastic Four’s Second Weekend Struggle
Marvel’s First Family is struggling to find its footing at the global box office. After a robust $117.6 million opening, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” experienced a substantial 66% drop in its sophomore weekend, bringing in just $40 million from 4,125 theaters. This steep decline pushes its domestic total to $198 million and global earnings to $368 million.
Box office analysts had predicted a much milder decline, closer to 55% to 60%. For comparison, “Superman,” another major superhero release from earlier in July, saw a more manageable 53% drop after its $125 million launch. The significant fall for “Fantastic Four” is particularly puzzling, especially given the film’s positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth. It also enjoyed a relatively clear path without direct competition from other blockbusters.
MCU’s Inconsistent Performance Continues
This sharp downturn places “The First Steps” among some of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films with the steepest second-weekend drops. While it fared better than “The Marvels” (down 78%), its performance is comparable to others like “Captain America: Brave New World” (down 68% in February), 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (down 70%), and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” (down 67%).
Despite these challenges, “Fantastic Four” is currently pacing to outgross earlier 2025 disappointments such as “Captain America: Brave New World” ($415 million globally) and “Thunderbolts” ($382 million globally). While its final worldwide box office tally won’t be disastrous, like “The Marvels” ($206 million) or “Thunderbolts,” it’s not the triumphant return to form Marvel hoped for. Industry expert Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations noted, “‘Fantastic Four’ is not a top-tier Marvel franchise. Never has been. Remember, this ramps up into ‘Avengers.’ That’s the real payoff.” This perspective suggests that “Fantastic Four” serves more as a stepping stone for future, higher-earning MCU installments.
Comedy Resurgence: The Naked Gun’s Promising Debut
In a refreshing turn for the comedy genre, Paramount’s “The Naked Gun” launched with a solid $17 million from 3,344 theaters, aligning perfectly with pre-weekend projections. Globally, the film has already accumulated $28.5 million. This promising box office performance stands out given the scarcity of successful theatrical comedies in recent years.
Directed by Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island, the film, costing $42 million, earned strong critical and audience reception. Starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., alongside Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser, “The Naked Gun” boasts an impressive 90% average on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-” CinemaScore from exit polls. Its success highlights a clear demand for well-executed slapstick comedy. Initial audiences were predominantly older white men, with 62% male viewers, 50% over 35, and 70% Caucasian, indicating a strong appeal to the original trilogy’s demographic.
Animation Shines: ‘The Bad Guys 2’ Takes Off
Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s heist comedy sequel, “The Bad Guys 2,” also enjoyed a strong start, securing $22.8 million from 3,852 venues. This opening perfectly matched the original film’s $23 million debut in 2022, a time when cinemas were still navigating post-COVID recovery. The first “Bad Guys” ultimately soared to $250 million worldwide.
Costing $80 million, “The Bad Guys 2,” which follows a group of reformed criminals on a final con job, resonated well with audiences, earning an “A” grade on CinemaScore. Its global total currently sits at $44.5 million, with $16.3 million from international markets. Analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research commented, “This is a good opening for an animation sequel. With this kind of business, the movie is doing what it’s supposed to do.” This performance underscores the enduring appeal and reliability of family-friendly animated content at the box office.
Niche Horror Finds Its Audience: ‘Together’
Neon’s body-horror film “Together” carved out a notable debut in sixth place, earning $6.8 million over the traditional weekend and an encouraging $10.8 million during its first five days. Starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, “Together” explores a co-dependent relationship transformed by mysterious and horrific bodily changes.
Despite a challenging “C+” CinemaScore, which is often typical for unsettling horror films that leave audiences disturbed, the movie’s marketing strategy leaned into its graphic nature. Neon notably offered free couples therapy to partners who watched the film during its opening weekend, a unique promotional tactic. Neon secured the film for $17 million at Sundance, one of the festival’s richest deals. Gross observed, “A lukewarm audience score is typical of these films and generally has little effect on how they play out. It’s [a] smart horror production that’s going to be profitable when it’s finished.”
Holdovers & Overall Market Trends
Beyond the new releases, several films continued their successful runs. “Superman” dropped to fourth place, adding $13.9 million in its fourth weekend. The Warner Bros. and DC Studios adaptation has now grossed $316.2 million domestically and $551.2 million globally, demonstrating strong staying power.
Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth” rounded out the top five, pulling in $8.4 million in its fifth weekend. This dinosaur epic, a franchise reboot starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, has achieved impressive totals of $317 million in North America and $766 million worldwide.
Is the Summer Box Office Rebounding?
The overall box office landscape presents a mixed but cautiously optimistic picture. According to Comscore, the current box office is 9.5% ahead of last year but still trails 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, by 23%. Summer revenues, from May through early August, have just reached $3 billion. The crucial question remains whether this could be the second post-COVID summer – after the “Barbenheimer” year – to surpass the $4 billion milestone.
Senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian predicts a “solid home stretch of the summer.” He notes, “The $4 billion benchmark is still about a $1 billion away, which is no cake walk but potentially in play.” This suggests that while recovery is ongoing, the industry faces an uphill battle to match pre-pandemic levels consistently. However, the diverse success of films like “Naked Gun” and “Bad Guys 2,” alongside the continued strength of “Superman” and “Jurassic World Rebirth,” hints at a broader audience willingness to return to cinemas for compelling content across genres.
Expert Analysis & Future Outlook
The latest box office report underscores a nuanced market where brand recognition doesn’t guarantee success, and unique content can thrive. “The Fantastic Four’s” performance highlights a potential fatigue with certain superhero formulas, even for a beloved property. Its recovery relies heavily on its role in the broader MCU narrative, particularly as a lead-in to future “Avengers” films like 2026’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Avengers: Doomsday,” and 2027’s “Avengers: Secret Wars.” These upcoming releases are expected to help the MCU fully regain its box office stride.
Conversely, the strong debut of “The Naked Gun” signals a hunger for theatrical comedies, especially those that leverage established, beloved franchises with a fresh twist. “The Bad Guys 2” reinforces the stability of animated family films, proving they remain a reliable draw. The niche success of “Together” also demonstrates that genre films, particularly horror, can find profitability with targeted marketing, even without mainstream appeal or high CinemaScores. The industry continues to adapt, learning from both the triumphs and missteps of recent releases, as it aims for a full post-pandemic recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ to experience such a significant second-weekend box office drop?
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” saw a sharp 66% decline in its second weekend, pulling in $40 million. This significant drop is attributed to its struggle to connect beyond its core superhero fan demographic, despite receiving positive reviews and favorable word-of-mouth. While not as steep as “The Marvels” (down 78%), it aligns with other MCU films like “Captain America: Brave New World” (68%), “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (70%), and “Thor: Love and Thunder” (67%), suggesting an inconsistent post-pandemic performance for the franchise.
How did ‘The Naked Gun’s opening weekend compare to other new comedy releases?
“The Naked Gun” debuted strongly with $17 million, aligning with projections and performing notably well for a theatrical comedy. The film’s success is particularly significant given the recent scarcity of breakout comedy hits in cinemas. Its positive critical reception (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) and strong audience “A-” CinemaScore indicate a clear demand for well-executed slapstick. This performance suggests a potential resurgence for the comedy genre in theaters, driven by films that resonate with both critics and the public.
What do the latest box office numbers reveal about the overall summer film season?
The current box office data indicates a mixed but hopeful trend for the summer film season. Revenues through early August have reached $3 billion, placing the overall market 9.5% ahead of last year. However, it still lags 23% behind pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Analysts suggest a “solid home stretch” is likely, but reaching the ambitious $4 billion summer milestone will require strong performances from upcoming releases. The success of diverse films, from animation like “The Bad Guys 2” to niche horror like “Together,” highlights varied audience interests contributing to the ongoing recovery.
