Disappointing Second Weekend for Disney's 'Fantastic Four' Signals Industry-Wide Challenges

Disney's latest superhero release, "Fantastic Four: First Steps," showed a significant decline in its second weekend, signaling potential challenges ahead. After an impressive debut, the film experienced a dramatic 66% drop in box office revenue, falling from $117.6 million in its opening week to just $40 million in its second weekend, according to reports from The Wrap. Internationally, the trend mirrored its domestic performance. The film initially opened with over $108 million abroad but plummeted to approximately $39.6 million in the following weekend. Despite positive reviews from critics and fans, the disappointing drop raises concerns about its overall financial performance, with projections suggesting it may not reach the $500 million worldwide mark. This decline reflects a broader trend of superhero fatigue affecting studios. Marvel's recent releases, such as "Thunderbolts," also underperformed, with estimated losses exceeding $100 million for Disney. With a production and marketing budget of around $400 million, "Thunderbolts" grossed approximately $350 million in its first month. Other Marvel films like "Captain America: Brave New World" and "The Marvels" have similar...