I think we all pretty much knew it was going to be a disappointing weekend at the domestic box office as the negative reviews of Fantastic Four rolled in all week, and deservedly so, it’s a terrible movie. Of course, there was some optimism that it might crack $40 million, but that optimism quickly dissipated as it scored $11.3 million on Friday along with a nasty “C-” CinemaScore. The end result was a second place finish with $26.2 million, second to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation with $29.4 million and a solid 47% hold in its second weekend, as Fox must now decide what they’re going to do with the Marvel property.
The studio currently has Fantastic Four 2 dated for a June 9, 2017 release, but I don’t see that happening. Not for a second. The only way they can keep this thing moving is to attach a top notch director to either reboot it once more, or come up with a seriously great sequel idea as the one thing director Josh Trank was able to do was corral a solid cast. The fact the movie squanders said cast is another discussion altogether, but something drastic is going to have to happen if Fox wants to keep this franchise alive.
The Fantastic Four opening is the worst opening for a Marvel comic adaptation since 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and before that a pair of Blade films, including the original before anyone knew what it was, but also including Blade: Trinity, which people apparently smelled before it too hit theaters. 2005’s Fantastic Four opened to $56 million and while it wasn’t necessarily loved by fans, it’s sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, still managed to even top that with $58 million in 2007. Audiences definitely sniffed this latest version out early and collectively said, “Nope!”
The weekend also saw a new release in the Meryl Streep-led Ricki and the Flash, another film audiences, more or less, rejected as it scored only $7 million from 1,603 theaters. Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep Movie wasn’t exactly blowing any doors off either after its Wednesday bow, scoring $4 million over the three-day and $5.6 million in its first five days. Overseas, however, it’s already over $60 million… domestic dollars were just the sprinkles on top of the sundae.
If you’re looking for success from one of the weekend’s newcomers, look to Joel Edgerton‘s thriller The Gift, which scored positive reviews and landed $12 million in its first three days and a “B” CinemaScore on a $5 million budget. Buzz on this one grew as the weekend approached and I’m hoping to see it for myself today.
Next weekend brings a couple of interesting titles. Straight Outta Compton has already earned solid reviews and I’m curious to see if The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is going to crash and burn as I expect it to. These expectations aren’t based on the quality of the film, however, merely the fact the marketing is a nightmare. Additionally, Xavier Dolan fans will be able to find Tom at the Farm in limited theaters across the nation.
