Fantastic Four vs Superman Is The Box Office Battle That Decides The Fate Of Superhero Blockbusters

If these were any other two Marvel and DC movies like the ones we have been getting from both companies lately, this wouldn’t be such a big deal. However, Marvel urgently needs to integrate the characters they acquired from Fox to spice up the MCU, while DC needs a solid movie to get their new franchise of films off the ground. Fantastic Four and Superman feel like make-or-break movies for both companies.

A decade ago, Fantastic Four or Superman likely would have been surefire billion-dollar box office movies. But while I will certainly be watching both in theaters, many fans have become worn out with superheroes. So these two movies coming out now could leave them fighting for a shrunken audience, and the reality is they could eat into each other’s profits at a time when both movies really need to hit it out of the park.

Back in 2013, Zack Snyder tried to light a fire under DC with the release of Man of Steel. While it did well financially and critically, it wasn’t a huge crowd-pleaser. The DCU quickly transitioned to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which showed that the wheels were beginning to fall off.

And the less said about the previous two abysmal Fantastic Four iterations, the better. This new Fantastic Four and Superman need to remove some bad taste from fans’ mouths and restore the good names of their respective franchises.

To be clear on my perspective, I don’t take part in choosing Marvel or DC and hope one emerges victorious. I want both to be successful, so we continue to get good movies with the great characters both companies have. So my ideal scenario is that both Fantastic Four and Superman see audiences turn out big for these new phases for Marvel and DC.

I would take no joy in seeing either movie fail to do well, especially if they live up to the positive hype that is building up for them.

But reality has not been that rosy lately. Marvel’s biggest competitor lately has been its own weak movies, which are tarnishing their reputation. And DC has had terrible luck with its actors getting involved in scandals that overshadow its movies.

But now Marvel is finally doing something fresh by integrating the X-Men like in Deadpool & Wolverine, and now their take on the Fantastic Four. And DC has the strong reputation of James Gunn behind their new Superman. So both movies look poised to do well, as long as their clash does not divide their audience so much that both movies lose in this fight.