The international box office saw significant movement over the weekend, with several major Hollywood titles competing for top rankings. Leading the pack was Marvel and Disney’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which held onto the No. 1 global spot in its second weekend despite a noticeable drop in revenue. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt’s F1 racing film crossed a historic milestone, becoming the actor’s highest-grossing film ever worldwide. In addition, new comedies and animated sequels made their debuts or expanded their reach, contributing to a dynamic summer season.
Fantastic Four: First Steps Sees Sharp Drop But Maintains Global Lead
In its sophomore frame, The Fantastic Four: First Steps brought in $39.6 million internationally, marking a 54% decline from its opening weekend overseas. Excluding China, the dip was slightly lower at 52%, indicating a consistent trend across markets. This brings the film’s international total to $170.3 million, while the worldwide cumulative now stands at $368.7 million.
Interestingly, the domestic share of revenue now accounts for 54% of the global total, reversing the usual box office trend for Marvel films, where international typically contributes a greater share. Analysts attribute the shift largely to underperformance in major Asian territories, where interest in Western superhero films appears to be waning.
Despite the downturn, Fantastic Four continues to perform above average for a second-week release, although it’s now facing stiff competition from other major releases in the comedy, animation, and action genres.
Brad Pitt’s F1 Races Ahead, Becomes His Biggest Global Box Office Hit
One of the weekend’s biggest success stories was Apple Original Films’ F1, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski. Distributed by Warner Bros. internationally, the high-octane racing drama added $17.2 million across 78 overseas markets, showing remarkable staying power with only a 17% drop from the previous week.
The film has now amassed $372.3 million internationally, with a global total of $545.6 million. This officially makes F1 the highest-grossing film of Brad Pitt’s career, surpassing 2013’s World War Z. The movie’s exceptional performance in South Korea has been especially noteworthy, where it saw a 36% increase in ticket sales in its sixth week—a rare occurrence for Hollywood films in any market.
Industry experts credit the film’s longevity to strong word-of-mouth, high replay value among motorsport fans, and excellent cinematography that has resonated globally. It also marks a major win for Apple’s growing ambitions in theatrical releases, proving the tech giant can compete at the global box office level.
Paramount’s The Naked Gun Reboot Posts Promising Comedy Debut
In the comedy genre, Paramount’s revival of The Naked Gun made a strong debut, earning $11.5 million from 46 early-opening international markets. This figure positions the film favorably compared to recent comedy benchmarks, performing 44% better than Game Night and 36% higher than The Heat in comparable opening frames.
So far, the movie has launched in 73% of its planned international territories, with key markets such as France, Brazil, Australia, and Spain yet to open. The top-performing countries this weekend were the UK and Germany, each contributing $2.3 million, followed by Mexico ($674K), the Netherlands ($590K), and Austria ($430K).
With several high-performing territories still to come, the film is well-positioned to maintain strong momentum heading into mid-August.
Animated Hit The Bad Guys 2 Expands to New Markets
Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys 2 also expanded significantly this weekend. After a limited debut in just three international markets last week, the film widened its release to 58 international territories. The result was a solid $16.3 million in box office revenue, lifting its international cumulative to $22.3 million.
With the North American release now underway, the global total has reached $44.5 million. Importantly, many key markets have yet to launch, including Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, and large parts of Asia and Latin America. Given the original film’s strong international appeal, analysts anticipate significant gains once those territories open.
Jurassic World Rebirth Continues to Roar at the Global Box Office
Another title holding steady is Universal/Amblin’s Jurassic World Rebirth, which earned an additional $16.2 million internationally in its fifth weekend. Though this reflects a 35% drop from the previous weekend, the film’s offshore total now stands at $448.4 million, with a global cumulative of $766 million.
Despite newer releases entering the market, the film continues to perform well thanks to strong audience loyalty to the franchise and steady ticket sales across Europe and parts of Asia.
DC’s Superman Remains a Solid Performer Across 78 Markets
Warner Bros. and DC’s latest installment, Superman, added another $11.2 million this weekend from 78 international territories, bringing its overseas total to $235 million. With a global cumulative of $551.2 million, the film remains a reliable performer and a much-needed win for the DC cinematic universe.
While it hasn’t reached the explosive heights of previous Superman entries, the film’s consistent performance in global markets highlights growing international interest in well-executed reboots. Analysts note that the character’s enduring brand appeal continues to attract both nostalgic fans and younger viewers.
Global Box Office Snapshot: Weekend Performance Overview
| Film Title | Weekend Intl. Gross | Total Intl. Gross | Global Gross | % Drop (Intl.) | Noteworthy Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantastic Four: First Steps | $39.6M | $170.3M | $368.7M | ‑54% | Global #1, weak in Asia, strong domestically |
| F1 (Brad Pitt) | $17.2M | $372.3M | $545.6M | ‑17% | Pitt’s top-grossing film ever |
| The Bad Guys 2 | $16.3M | $22.3M | $44.5M | — | More key markets to open soon |
| Jurassic World Rebirth | $16.2M | $448.4M | $766M | ‑35% | Fifth week, still going strong |
| The Naked Gun | $11.5M | $11.5M | TBD | New Release | 73% intl. rollout complete |
| Superman (DC) | $11.2M | $235M | $551.2M | — | Steady earnings across wide release |
Blockbuster Variety Keeps Summer Box Office Competitive
This weekend’s global box office landscape reflects a healthy diversity of genres performing across various regions. While Fantastic Four retained its top spot despite a sharp decline, F1’s historic success and Jurassic World Rebirth’s consistent numbers show that strong franchises and star power still draw global audiences.
Comedies like The Naked Gun and family-friendly animations like The Bad Guys 2 continue to find their footing, while DC’s Superman demonstrates staying power in a competitive environment. With more territories yet to open for several titles, box office dynamics are expected to shift in the coming weeks.
