After just one weekend in theaters,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis already surpassing other Marvel films. Its opening-day gross alreadyovertook the 2015Fantastic Fourreboot’s domestic haul, and subsequently, it eclipsed that film’s entire $167 million run.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’milestones don’t end there, however. The MCU’s latest installmentcurrently sits at $218 million at the worldwide box office, with a breakdown of $118 million domestically and $100 million globally. Interestingly, this means thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas, in its first three days, outgrossed the franchise’s biggest flop.
What The Fantastic Four: First Steps Box Office Update Means
Despite receiving mixed to positive reviews,The Marvelsfailed to gain traction at the box office during its theatrical run.Its overall gross tapped out at $206.1 million, earning $84.5 million domestically and $121.6 million internationally.
When determining whether a movie is a flop or a hit, its budget to box office ratio is the most important factor, even over critical reception. A lower-budget film can be more profitable more quickly, but they are often not the sort of crowd pleasers that will draw a large audience.
For example, something likeFive Nights at Freddy’scould be a massive hit with a $291 million gross because its budget was $20 million. Meanwhile, that same figure would be considered a flop for a would-be blockbuster with a $200 million budget. Unfortunately, that is the territory thatThe Marvelsoccupied.
Generally, a movie needs to make back double its budget to break even on production costs, not factoring in marketing, which brings that threshold to two-and-a-half times its budget.The Marvelshad a reported budget of $270 million, due in part to reshoots, meaning that it did not even make back its production costs.
Comparatively,The Fantastic Four: First Stepshad a reported budget of $200 million, a figure it has already crossed at the box office. Still, the MCU’s latest outing needs to make a minimum of $400 million to break even, with promotional costs driving that number up to $500 million.
Our Take On The Fantastic Four: First Steps Box Office Update
At face value, it is unsurprising thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis outpacingThe Marvels. Firstly, the Fantastic Four have stronger name recognition than any of the three leads ofThe Marvels. Secondly, it is releasing during the summer blockbuster season. Thirdly, there is no Disney+ television series-related homework to do forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Lastly,The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas had speculation that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom would appear as a lead-in toAvengers: Doomsday, which would draw in eager MCU fans. The real test forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill be how its ticket sales hold over the next few weeks—though it is safely not in bomb territory likeThe Marvels.
