’The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Global Box Office Sinks Jason Statham’s 27% Rotten Tomatoes Misfire

When a movie stumbles in its second weekend, it’s a sign that it didn’t quite connect with general audiences. But when it continues declining in its third weekend as well, there’s cause for concern. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps actually had an encouraging debut, out-grossing both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*; the movie also earned the approval of both critics and audiences. The film has since out-grossed the lifetime hauls of both its MCU predecessors, but there’s no denying that it has underperformed commercially. It was clear by its second weekend that it had appealed only to Marvel’s core fanbase.

In its third weekend, however, it passed the all-important $400 million mark globally, overtaking a few major titles along the way. With over $230 million domestically and another $203 million from overseas markets, the film’s running global haul stands at $434 million. The Fantastic Four cost a reported $200 million-plus to produce, which is standard for most studio tent poles these days, but higher than the $180 million reported price tags of both Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts*. The movie was designed as a grand re-launch of Marvel’s “First Family,” and served as their introduction to the MCU. The Fantastic Four might not have joined the ranks of the franchise’s top-grossing films, but its $ million haul puts it ahead of Mission: Impossible III, Eternals, and Jason Statham’s recent action sequel Meg 2: The Trench.

Directed by the unlikely Ben Wheatley, who remains best known for his indie genre films, Meg 2 cost a reported $120 million to produce, and concluded its run with a hair under $400 million worldwide. It earned poor reviews — the movie is currently sitting at a “rotten” 27% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes — but seemed to please Statham’s target audience. The Fantastic Four earned an excellent 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes its box office spiral all the more concerning.

‘The Fantastic Four’s Positive Reviews Didn’t Translate Into Box Office Returns

The film’s official RT score still stands at a “certified fresh” 86%. The website’s consensus reads, “Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel’s First Family justice.” The Fantastic Four, played byPedro Pascal,Vanessa Kirby,Joseph Quinn, andEbon Moss-Bachrach, will return in next year’s Avengers: Endgame, which is the only MCU film lined up for 2026. You can watch The Fantastic Four in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.