Warner Bros.’ original horror mystery WEAPONS fended off Disney’s comedy FREAKIER FRIDAY to win first place at the weekend box office. Both films are finishing their opening weekends, with WEAPONS earning an impressive $42.5M while FREAKIER FRIDAY took in $29.0M.
For months, it was assumed that the higher-profile FREAKIER FRIDAY would come out on top, but interest in WEAPONS surged in the last two weeks. It also benefited from being played on IMAX and other Premium Large Format screens, after the two-week commitment that most of these had to play THE FANTASTIC FOUR had run out.
These two strong August openings led all films this weekend to earn $131.0M, compared with $157.7M on this same weekend last year, led by $53.8M from Marvel’s DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE in its third weekend and a solid $50.1M for the opening of Sony’s romance IT ENDS WITH US.
In this summer’s faceoff between the relaunches of superhero movies, it seems that DCU’s SUPERMAN has got the upper hand over MCU’s THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. After 17 days, SUPERMAN has grossed $289.5M domestic while THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS has taken in $230.4M domestic. THE FANTASTIC FOUR has no chance of catching the Man of Steel, after it came in lower for the first, second, and third weekend. Here is how the two movies compare.
SUPERMAN vs. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS after 17 Days
Here’s a deeper look at the top five movies of the weekend.
Warner Bros.’ WEAPONS was a surprise hit and the runaway winner of the weekend. The original horror movie has opened to $42.5M domestic and $70M worldwide. It was written and directed by Zach Cregger, best known for his work on BARBARIAN in 2022. He conceived of the script for WEAPONS in response to personal grief, processing the death of his friend Trevor Moore in 2021.
Cregger is considered one of the leading filmmakers working in the horror genre today. BARBARIAN received a 92% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and went on to gross $45.3M worldwide on a minuscule production budget of only $4.5M, resulting in a highly profitable 10-to-1 ratio of worldwide gross to production costs.
Rights to WEAPONS’ screenplay sparked a bidding war among interested studios, with Cregger’s script selling for $10M ultimately, with commitments from Warner Bros. that the director would have rights to make decisions on the final cut and that it would be released theatrically.
The plot of the film centers on the mysterious, simultaneous disappearance of 17 third graders from their homes on the same night at exactly 2:17 a.m. The complex storyline has events unfold in an interwoven, multi-perspective narrative, evoking comparisons to the 1999 classic MAGNOLIA from director Paul Thomas Anderson.
The central mystery escalates mid-film into something more intense and supernatural. The movie transitions from suburban eeriness to a more surreal and disturbing setting in its final act. Julia Garner (Ozark) stars as Justine Gandy, the elementary school teacher whose students disappear. Josh Brolin (DUNE) portrays Archer Graff, the father of one of the missing students, on a desperate and emotional journey.
Critics have fallen in love with the movie, giving it a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences weighing in with an almost as impressive 87% score. Variety praised Cregger’s storytelling, likening the film to a dark Grimm’s fable—twisted, unforgettable, and nightmarish. The Daily Beast calls it one of the summer’s most original and unsettling horror experiences—rich in psychological dread and suburban creepiness.
The Washington Post declares it a “fright-night delight,” blending dark humor, visual finesse, and haunting tension, confirming Zach Cregger’s genre mastery. Even when the Los Angeles Times’ reviewer wasn’t entirely sold on the picture, he still had positive things to say about it by commending its disorder-by-design structure and keen aesthetic.
Some have wondered why the movie’s title is WEAPONS. According to Vanity Fair, Cregger deliberately chose an opaque title to invite deeper reflection and mystery; the ambiguity is intentional. He admitted he simply landed on WEAPONS early in the writing process and never second-guessed it, enjoying how open its interpretation remains.
Warner Bros. gave Cregger $38M to make his movie, more than eight times the amount he spent on BARBARIANS. It will need to earn $95M worldwide to make a profit, and is certainly well on its way there after a $42.5M domestic opening. It is always a good sign when the first three days of a movie produce more than its entire production budget! The film has already outgrossed the worldwide total of BARBARIAN. Cregger’s stature will only increase after this success, and he is already at work on Sony’s reboot of RESIDENT EVIL, with a scheduled release date of 9/18/2026.
Here is how WEAPONS compares to his previous hit, BARBARIAN.
WEAPONS vs. BARBARIAN
Disney’s FREAKIER FRIDAY finished in second place in its opening weekend by earning $29.0M domestic and $44.5 globally. While the domestic amount was higher than the $22.1M earned by FREAKY FRIDAY in its opening, it should be noted that the 2003 film opened on a Wednesday and earned $33.1M in its first five days.
This is the third FREAKY FRIDAY movie, as the first of these body-swapping films came out in 1977 and starred Barbra Harris as the mom and a 13-year-old Jodie Foster as the daughter. The 70’s film earned $25.9M in its run, which is the equivalent of $137.9M in today’s dollars.
Disney waited 26 years to remake that film with the second FREAKY FRIDAY in 2003, and found considerable success with a total worldwide box office of $160.8M, equal to $281.9M after adjusting for inflation. This resulted in a very profitable 8-to-1 ratio of worldwide gross to production cost.
One might wonder why it took the studio another 22 years to make the third movie in the series. Perhaps, the barrier was simple biology, and perfectly suited to the story’s heart. Jamie Lee Curtis recently explained that “We couldn’t have made this movie until now, because Lindsay had to be old enough to have a 15-year-old” to come off as convincing as the mom of a teenager. Curtis and Lohan have remained close over the years and committed to each other that they would both give it another shot when the timing was right for them.
Production on FREAKIER FRIDAY began on June 24, 2024, under the direction of Nisha Ganatra (LATE NIGHT). Curtis and Lohan returned in their roles as Tess and Anna. In a nod to the original, Mark Harmon also reprises his role as Ryan. Harmon, who left NCIS in October of 2021, has not acted in a non-NCIS role in over 13 years. Harmon has a longstanding camaraderie and genuine admiration for his co-star Jamie Lee Curtis. When she asked him to join the project, he felt as if he couldn’t say no.
The plot is set 22 years after the original. Anna is now a divorced single mom engaged to a British chef, and her daughter Harper clashes with Eric’s daughter Lily—a new blended-family dynamic leads to comedic events. Due to a supernatural mishap, a four-way body swap occurs between Anna, Tess, Harper, and Lily, complicating a planned wedding.
Critics have been mostly supportive of the sequel by giving it a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The real ratings story is the excellent 93% grade from the audience. This is an improvement of 35 percentage points from FREAKY FRIDAY and guarantees a positive word of mouth among audiences in the critical weeks ahead.
Here is a sample of some of the reviews. The Film Verdict says, “Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reteam for an amiably laugh-filled comedy that brings the body-switch hijinks to a new generation of misunderstood teenagers.” Entertainment Weekly gives it an “A-” and describes it as “a heart-on-its-sleeve ode to strengthening and forging bonds… the power of deep and unconditional love…” Variety says, “The double swap lends FREAKIER FRIDAY a juggling-balls-in-the-air quality that gives off a pleasant hum. It’s fun to ride the film’s complications; it follows through on its logic just enough to create a watchable, friendly Disney landscape.”
The Hollywood Reporter was not impressed, criticizing the film for “lacking originality and over-relying on nostalgia.” The production budget for the film was $42M, meaning it will need to earn $105M in global ticket sales to be profitable. $29.0M is a solid start, and its high audience rating should give it a decent chance to reach profitability. Here is a comparison of FREAKIER FRIDAY to FREAKY FRIDAY.
FREAKIER FRIDAY vs. FREAKY FRIDAY
Disney and Marvel’s THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS fell from first to third by earning $15.5M in its third weekend, a decline of 60% from weekend #2. This brings its 17-day total to $230.4M domestic and $434.2M worldwide, placing it as the seventh highest-grossing domestic film in 2025. It slots just behind the sixth-place status of Universal’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, which has earned $261.1 million to date.
We project that THE FANTASTIC FOUR will nudge upward and finish with around $275M domestic, placing it just behind SINNERS, which earned $278.6M. THE FANTASTIC FOUR’s worldwide gross should come in at around $500M, which, based on its $200M production cost, is about the same amount it would need to break even.
The MCU has been successful in bringing back this franchise from the dead, and we expect some or all of its four-star characters to appear in the next year’s AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY movie, scheduled to arrive in time for Christmas on December 18, 2026. Here is a look at how FIRST STEPS compares to the three other movies in THE FANTASTIC FOUR franchise after 17 days.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS vs. Previous FANTASTIC FOUR Films after 17 Days
Sony and DreamWorks’s animated BAD GUYS 2 finished in fourth place with $10.4M, a drop of 53% from last weekend’s opening. This brings its ten-day totals to $43.4M domestic and $84.0M worldwide. The sequel has earned 98% of the box office that the original movie had earned as of this point. However, it may struggle to keep up the pace in subsequent weeks since BAD GUYS only dropped 32% in its second weekend, and the sequel declined by 53%.
Another problem is that the original took in 61% of its overall gross from markets outside North America, and BAD GUYS 2 has only earned 48% internationally. BAD GUYS 2 will need to earn $200M worldwide to be profitable, and the jury is still out whether it will find all of that amount. Here is where the film stands vs the original after 10 days in release.
BAD GUYS 2 v. BAD GUYS after 10 Days
In fifth place, Paramount’s comedy remake THE NAKED GUN took in $8.4M this weekend and dropped 50% from last weekend’s opening. This brings its ten-day total to $33.0M domestic and $56.4M worldwide. THE NAKED GUN’s 50% drop in its second weekend is the steepest in franchise history, and it seems likely that this new version will wind up lower than all previous offerings in the franchise, after adjusting box office amounts for inflation.
There is even a chance that THE NAKED GUN will wind up lower before adjusting for inflation than two of the three earlier films. A possible offset to its relatively poor performance in the domestic market is that THE NAKED GUN is the first movie from the series to receive international distribution. Therefore, every ticket sold outside North America can play its part in raising the film’s worldwide total. Here is how the new film compares to others in the franchise after 10 days in release.
THE NAKED GUN (2025) vs. Previous NAKED GUN Movies after 10 Days
Where Are We as of 8/7/2025
After 31 weeks, the domestic box office in 2025 stands at 108% compared to the same point in 2024 and 76% compared to 2019.
