Marvel Studios’ ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, arrived in Indian theatres amid the ongoing ‘Saiyaara’ frenzy and secured a modest start to its box office run. The film that is the third reboot of the superhero franchise, scored an impressive Rs 5.10 crore India net on its opening day, according to early estimates on Sacnilk. The film, with its all-new cast, introduces Pedro Pascal as Mr Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Tourch and Ebon Moss‑Bachrach as the Thing. The film managed to score a 55.5% occupancy on Friday for its English‑language shows, with evening and night shows drawing in the crowds. It has been reported that the movie saw between 59% and 73.60% footfalls for its Friday night shows, with metro centres like Bengaluru, Chennai, NCR, Mumbai and Ahmedabad bringing in the numbers. With this Rs 5 crore earning, the film now stands behind the first-day net earning of other Hollywood releases like ‘Superman’ which earned Rs 6.75 crore and even ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ which earned Rs 8.25 crore. While this is a low start for a Marvel film in India, the debut isn’t unexpected, given Marvel’s current market dip and strong competition from ‘Saiyaara’. The film managed to get a hold over the box office despite facing stiff competition from the Bollywood romantic film ‘Saiyaara’. The Mohit Suri directorial, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in lead roles, is dominating the box Indian office with its Rs 200 crore sweep. All eyes are now turned to the weekend numbers to see if ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ has the potential to pick up pace and potentially cross the Rs 20 crore mark by the end of its first weekend at the Indian box office.
