Even while it stayed at number one, Marvel’s latest movie had a huge drop in its second weekend. New movies like “The Bad Guys 2” and “The Naked Gun” hope to bring life back to August movies.
Los Angeles, California, USA—August 2, 2025: Oh, the drama going on at the box office! Marvel’s highly anticipated “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is having a bittersweet success. Even though it held on to the No. 1 slot in its second weekend, it is now facing a genuinely disappointing, even tragic, stumble. Many people thought the movie would be a big hit for Marvel’s new superhero team, but it seems to be having trouble keeping its momentum, which has fans and industry insiders confused.
“Fantastic Four” made only $11.7 million in the US on its second Friday in theaters. That statistic might appear good at first, but when you examine deeper, it’s actually an awful 80% loss from its amazing start just last week! Ouch. If this pattern keeps up, the movie is likely to make far less than the $45 to $52 million it was predicted to make over the weekend. It has made $170 million in the US so far, and some estimates say it could make up to $198 million by the end of the weekend. This hurts Marvel even more because they spent more than $200 million making “Fantastic Four” and were looking for a considerably higher return.
Is Marvel still having trouble after the pandemic?
For a while, it looked like “The Fantastic Four,” which made $118 million at the box office, would be the first real post-pandemic hit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to introduce a new super team to fans. Unfortunately, recent efforts like “Thunderbolts*” in May, “The Marvels” in 2023, and “Eternals” in 2021 had all missed the point. But unhappily, “Fantastic Four” seems to be going through the same thing: it’s having a hard time getting those who aren’t big comic book fans to like it. The initial thrill didn’t last, which is something that has happened with numerous recent superhero movies.
New Hope on the Horizon: Will August Bring the Wins?
Theaters all over the country are crossing their fingers and hoping for a big boost from this week’s three big new movies, which are all trying to get people’s attention in early August.
“The Bad Guys 2,” an animated sequel from Universal and DreamWorks, comes in second place with a great start. This family-friendly movie made a good $9.1 million on Friday from 3,852 screens and is expected to make about $22 million over the weekend. The movie has a star-studded voice cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, and Craig Robinson. It follows our beloved group of wisecracking repentant criminals as they come out of retirement for one final, exciting assignment. And with a $80 million production budget, it looks like the animation powerhouse will make a lot of money.
Paramount’s highly anticipated comedy revival, “The Naked Gun,” came in third on Friday with a strong $6.3 million from 3,344 locations in the US. This is a really encouraging result, especially since we don’t see many pure theatrical comedy these days! The movie is only 85 minutes long, but it hopes to make $16.5 million by Sunday. It’s very fascinating (and funny) to see Liam Neeson, who typically looks serious, jump into the famous role of Detective Frank Drebin Jr. To keep the famous Police Squad from shutting down for good, he has to solve a murder. Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, and Kevin Durand are some of the great supporting actors in the movie. Akiva Schaffer directed and co-wrote this revival, which cost under $42 million. It is a loving tribute to the original, which was based on the 1982 TV show “Police Squad” and starred the iconic funny guy Leslie Nielsen. That original movie from 1988 became a classic in American comedy and led to two sequels that people liked in the early 1990s.
Neon’s his-and-hers body-horror thriller “Together” came in sixth place, making an estimated $2.1 million on Friday from 2,302 theaters. This is for people who want a different type of excitement. This small film, which premiered at Sundance, hopes to make a respectable $7.5 million to $10 million in its first five days. The movie stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco, who are married in real life. It is based on the scary idea that a couple that is having trouble may become victims of a mysterious force that fuses their bodies together. It was made on a small budget of $17 million, which shows how powerful unique, scary stories can be.
James Gunn’s “Superman” is still going strong, coming in fourth place with $4 million on Friday. The first movie from DC Studios is still doing well, and by Sunday it should have made more over $316 million in the US. Right now, it has made $306 million. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, came in fifth place. It made $2.4 million on Friday and is expected to make $317 million by Sunday.
It’s evident that the movie office is still very much alive, with new storylines and fresh takes fighting for people’s attention, even though a certain superhero team is facing an unexpected challenge. In the next several weeks, we’ll find out if these new competitors can give Hollywood the victory it needs.