‘Fantastic Four’ holds top spot but stumbles sharply at the box office

Marvel's latest superhero flick "Fantastic Four: First Steps", has held onto the top spot at the North American box office for a second week, but not without concerns. Despite its strong debut of $117.6 million last weekend, the film saw a steep 66 per cent drop, collecting $40 million this frame, a decline steeper than DC's "Superman", which fell only 53 per cent in its second weekend.

The sequel's 10-day domestic total now stands at $198.4 million, narrowly missing the $200 million mark it had aimed to cross by Sunday. While Marvel's film struggled to maintain momentum, "Superman", still in its fourth week, has pushed past a $551.2 million global total, including $300 million in North America — the first DC film in three years to hit that milestone.

Overseas, "Fantastic Four" fared better, bringing in $39.6 million for a global tally of $368.7 million, of which $170.3 million came from international markets. By contrast, "Superman" has earned $235 million internationally to date.

Meanwhile, Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "The Bad Guys 2" performed solidly in its debut, earning $22.2 million domestically — the second-best animated opening of the year. 

The film nearly matched the original "Bad Guys" (which opened at $23 million in 2022 and went on to earn $250 million worldwide). The sequel reunites director Pierre Perifel and producer Damon Ross, and sees the return of original voice talents Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, and Awkwafina, alongside newcomers Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh.

In the film, the reformed animal outlaws face a new threat from a gang of criminal masterminds known as "The Bad Girls," voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, and Natasha Lyonne.

Paramount's reboot of "The Naked Gun," starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, debuted to $17 million domestically and $28.5 million globally — exceeding expectations. The $40 million action-comedy marks Neeson's first major comedic role, portraying Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of the character originally played by Leslie Nielsen. Audiences gave it an A CinemaScore, signaling strong word-of-mouth.

The film, produced by Seth MacFarlane and directed by Akiva Schaffer, is the fourth installment in the franchise and comes 31 years after "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult." The cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston.

Read more

Loni Anderson, who played smart against stereotype on 'WKRP in Cincinnati', dead at 79

It also marks the final theatrical release under the current leadership at Paramount Pictures before Skydance, led by David Ellison, finalises its $8 billion merger with Paramount Global on August 7. Brian Robbins, the current studio chief and interim co-CEO, is expected to step down following the transition.

In other box office news, Universal's "Jurassic World Rebirth," produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin, remains in the top five, pulling in $8.7 million over the weekend. Its domestic haul now stands at $448.4 million, with a worldwide total of $766 million.

Neon's indie horror-comedy "Together," starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, opened modestly with $6.8 million over the weekend and a five-day total of $10.9 million, rounding out the top six.