second-week-box-office-decline-for-fantastic-four-exceeds-expectations

The second week of release for Disney/Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" experienced a noticeable decline at the box office, earning approximately $40 million according to IMDb's Box Office Mojo. This represents nearly a 70% decrease from its initial opening weekend of $118 million, exceeding analysts' expectations of a 55% drop. Notably, this downturn occurred without significant new competition, as Universal/DreamWorks Animation's "The Bad Guys 2" debuted with $22.8 million and Paramount's "The Naked Gun 2" opened with $17 million, both aligning with forecasts. Industry experts suggest that "Fantastic Four" struggled to attract beyond its core demographic of young action and comic book fans, limiting its expansion potential. In terms of advertising, Universal allocated an estimated $13.8 million for national TV spots for "The Bad Guys 2," while Paramount invested around $12.2 million for "The Naked Gun 2," based on data from EDO Ad EnGage. Year-to-date, national TV advertising expenditures have declined by 5%, totaling $550.9 million through July 2025, compared to $578.1 million during the same period last year. The top 20 movies' ad spend has decreased by 10%, averagi...