The Monday Morning Hangover Report. Your report to deliver you the weekend box office numbers.
🎬 Top 5 Domestic Films – Weekend of July 25–27, 2025
1. Fantastic Four: First Steps
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Weekend gross: $118 million domestic (Fri $57M / Sat $33.2M / Sun $27.8M)
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3‑day total: $118M from 4,125 theaters; Previews showed $24–25M & Friday topped $57M.
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Global total: $218 million (includes $100M international).
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Context: This marks Marvel’s first opening over $100M in 2025, and the strongest launch among The MCU Phase Six entries so far. Critical reception is solid (87–88% on Rotten Tomatoes), signaling renewed confidence in the Fantastic Four franchise after several iterations that failed to gain traction.
2. Superman
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Weekend gross: $24.86 million (down 57% from previous weekend)
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Cumulative gross: $289.5 million domestic in its third weekend.
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Trend: Held strong in second place, showing enduring domestic legs—even as Fantastic Four took the lead.
3. Jurassic World: Rebirth
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Weekend gross: $13.0 million (45% drop from prior weekend)
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Cumulative gross: $301.5 million domestic, nearly matching Superman.
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Global performance: Remains one of the highest‑grossing 2025 films ($718M globally).
4. F1: The Movie
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Weekend gross: $6.2 million (37% decline from last weekend)
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Total to date: $165.6 million domestic.
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Overseas: Global total now above $500M, buoyed by premium formats and racing fans’ steady word‑of‑mouth.
5. Smurfs (2025 Reboot)
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Weekend gross: $5.4 million (≈ 51% fall from opening)
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Cumulative domestic: $22.8 million in its second weekend.
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Note: Despite a stellar marquee voice cast, this is a fading family interest that fails to realize that the audience for this was children of the 80s, not their kids.
🗞️ Weekend Notes & Industry Highlights
🎯 Blockbuster of the Moment
Fantastic Four: First Steps triumphs with a $118M debut, driven by record presales and robust Friday grosses ($57M alone). Marvel’s biggest opening of the year eclipses early buzz for Superman and cements the franchise’s resurgence. Fingers crossed.
🏛️ Market Snapshot
Comscore reports domestic box office year-to-date has surpassed $5.2 billion—up 12% from 2024—for the final week of July. Analysts forecast August’s lineup (including The Bad Guys 2, Freakier Friday, Weapons, The Naked Gun) may push total summer domestic grosses above the $4 billion threshold—a post pandemic mark only hit in the blockbuster-heavy 2023 “Barbenheimer” summer.
🦸 MCU vs. DC Redux
Marvel takes back the lead this week, even as Superman holds respectable multi‑week performance. Observers see Fantastic Four as starting Phase Six with momentum, while critics and fans are calling it a smart tonal reboot that successfully avoids franchise fatigue.
🎥 Franchise Durability
The weak returns from Smurfs and the further decline in Jurassic World illustrate audience selectivity: high-tier IPs still perform but require novelty or strong buzz. Meanwhile, F1: The Movie continues to prove niche-meets-mass appeal when deployed correctly in premium formats.
🔎 What’s Next?
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Weekend Forecast: Will Fantastic Four sustain momentum or cool off in Week 2?
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Upcoming Releases: The Bad Guys 2 and Freakier Friday may shake up the top 5 in early August.
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International Radar: Monitor overseas hold and global totals, especially for Fantastic Four, Jurassic, and F1.
🧭 Final Takeaway
Marvel’s Fantastic Four has smashed through with over $118M to dominate the weekend, making it the first MCU movie this year to surpass $100 million in 2025. (we’ll be taking it in on Tuesday for our Tuesday Night Movie Club). Superman and Jurassic World still earn steady returns, while F1 and Smurfs reflect diverging trends—premium niche versus dwindling reboot interest. With domestic summer box office now above $5.2B and high-profile releases still on deck, the studio season’s shaping up strong heading into August and some big movies opening before the end of summer.
