‘Mission’ wins again; ‘Fantastic Four’ flops

A rare bomb for Marvel superheroes

NEW YORK — Hollywood’s summer has had runaway sensations (“Jurassic World”) and heartwarming hits (“Inside Out”). It now has its fiasco.

“Fantastic Four,” 20th Century Fox’s attempt to reboot the superhero team-up franchise, debuted with just $26.2 million at North American theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The result was bad enough that last week’s leader, Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,” held the top spot with $29.4 million in its second week.

The overwhelming flop for “Fantastic Four” is a rare humbling for a Marvel superhero film, which often gross more than $20 million in just one night. The film has been savaged by critics and was dogged by reports of creative difficulties.

“Fantastic Four,” made for $120 million and with a massive marketing budget, was designed with a youthful bent, enlisting director Josh Trank and a cast of Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell. A sequel, already scheduled for 2017, now seems very unlikely.

Several other less high-profile releases fared better over the weekend.

The suspense thriller “The Gift,” directed by co-star Joel Edgerton and starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, opened in third with $12 million. Made for just $5 million, it’s a strong start for the new STX Productions.

The Meryl Streep rocker “Ricki and the Flash” debuted with $7 million for Sony’s Tri-Star Pictures. The film, directed by Jonathan Demme, co-stars Kevin Kline.

Worse off was Aardman Entertainment’s “Shaun the Sheep Movie” from Lionsgate. Though reviews were good, the film, based on the animated British TV series, earned only $4 million over the weekend and $5.6 million since opening Wednesday.