It’s going to be a nail-biter at the box office this weekend as Marvel’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps” tries to outperform the “Superman” opening, which was $125M.
Early signs point to a strong debut for the MCU reboot, with the film raking in a very healthy $24M from Thursday previews alone. That puts it on track for a projected $120M+ opening weekend — a much-needed morale boost for Marvel following lukewarm numbers for “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” earlier this year.
But even with the strong start, questions are already circling around the film’s massive budget. Most trades are sticking to the $200 million figure, but other experts are beginning to claim the numbers closer to $250–$275M. If true, Marvel’s margin for profit slightly shrinks.
As for critical reception, it’s been interesting, to say the least. The film sits at a glowing 89% on Rotten Tomatoe, but tells a different story with a 64 on Metacritic — signaling yet another instance of the growing disconnect between these two aggregator platforms.
Now, let’s not forget: The Fantastic Four have already suffered through not one, not two, but three cinematic faceplants — the campy 2005 and 2007 flicks, and the painfully awkward 2015 reboot, infamously stylized as “Fant4stic.” However, it does look as though director Matt Shakman finally found the right formula to get audiences interested.
“Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which stars Pedro Pascal, Julia Garner, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon and Moss-Bacharach, seems poised to give Marvel the kind of win it hasn’t had in a while. The real test? Longevity. Let’s see where the numbers land in the weeks ahead.
Following “Air,” this is Affleck’s latest stint behind the camera. He has cast himself in the lead role, alongside Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”).