Twentieth Century Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot debuted to a poor $26.2 million in second place at the box office this weekend across 3,995 theaters, far less than the $40 million-plus opening analysts had projected.
“This turned into a nightmare for Fox,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “Everything that could go wrong went wrong and the whole thing fell apart.”
The $120 million production, starring Miles Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Kate Mara as Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman, ranks as one of the worst debuts for a Marvel Comics film adaptation – falling behind the first two films, Fantastic Four ($56.1 million) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ($58.1 million).
Audience members, who were 60 percent male and 51 percent under the age of 25, gave the reboot a C minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a tragic 9 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The confluence of clearly the decidedly negative reviews with the combination of social media did not help the cause,” said Fox distribution chief Chris Aronson. “While we’re disappointed, we remain committed to these characters and we have a lot to look forward to in our Marvel universe.”
Due to the reboot’s meager opening, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation remained in first place at the box office. The Paramount sequel took in an additional $29.4 million in its second weekend, pushing its domestic total to $108.7 million.
One of the weekend’s many new releases includes Joel Edgerton’s directorial debut of The Gift, which placed in third place with $12 million from 2,503 theaters. The psychological thriller featured an opening crowd of 53 percent women and 73 percent over the age of 25, who gave the film a B CinemaScore. Critics were also fond of The Gift, giving it a 92 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“This is an exceptional start for our company,” said Kevin Grayson, STX’s domestic distribution group president. “We got to battle test our marketing and distribution groups.”
Sony’s Ricki and the Flash debuted over the weekend, as well, with a $7 million opening from 1,603 theaters for a seventh place finish. The film features Meryl Streep as an aging rocker reconnecting with her estranged family. With an $18 million production cost, Ricki and the Flash received a B CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 59 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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“This a good start for us, and bodes well the longevity this film will have,” Sony worldwide distribution chief Rory Bruer said.
The last weekend newcomer is Lionsgate’s Shaun the Sheep with $4 million from 2,320 theaters in eleventh place. The British TV series’ spinoff earned a B plus CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 99 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
The top five was rounded out by Warner Bros.’ Vacation with $9.1 million for a fourth place finish and Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man with $7.8 million for a fifth place finish, pushing their domestic totals to $37.3 million and $147.4 million, respectively.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: August 7-9
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation — $29.4 million
- Fantastic Four — $26.2 million
- The Gift — $12.0 million
- Vacation — $9.1 million
- Ant-Man — $7.8 million
- Minions — $7.4 million
- Ricki And The Flash — $7.0 million
- Trainwreck — $6.3 million
- Pixels — $5.4 million
- Southpaw — $4.8 million
