For a while, it seemed comic book movies could pull in a ridiculous amount of cash simply for featuring a Marvel hero. As it turns out, that's just not the case: Fantastic Four is already a monumental flop, just days after its theatrical debut. Before the Internet, a bad movie could enjoy an opening weekend before word-of-mouth spread; these days, online reviews and comments can essentially kill a film before it even opens.
Then again, bad reviews weren't the only things attacking Fantastic Four. Strangely enough, the film was fighting against its own director: as a response to early, extremely negative reviews from critics, director Josh Trank took to Twitter and basically bashed his own film. Trank claimed that "a year ago, I had a fantastic version of this. And it would've received great reviews. You'll probably never see it. That's reality though."
Obviously, the tweet was quickly deleted, but it still managed to do some harm. According to The Wrap, Trank's tweet may have cost the film anywhere between $5 million and $10 million.
How could a single tweet cause so much damage? It really comes down to the way people use the Internet now: marketing departments and PR Twitter accounts often come off as forced, while those of directors and other creative contributors usually feel more sincere. As a result, many people will hold the word of a director over that of others — basically, if a director says something is bad, you'll be more inclined to believe them, even if the film's marketing budget points to the opposite.
The week before its debut, Fantastic Four was looking at a $40 million opening weekend. Then, the bad reviews started piling up, followed by Trank's tweet. At the end of the weekend, the film had only managed to pull in a little over $26 million. While the $14 million difference isn't entirely Trank's fault, box office analysts have estimated that the director's tweet could have cost the film anywhere from $5 million to $10 million.
So, what exactly does this mean for Trank? As of now, nothing: 20th Century Fox hasn't taken any legal action, despite the possibility that Trank breached his contract with the tweet. However, there's a good chance that Trank's reputation will take a serious hit: studios aren't exactly excited to work with a director who could call them out like that. At the end of the day, Fantastic Four probably would have flopped anyways... but Trank may have taken himself down with it.
All things considered, it doesn't look like Fantastic Four will be getting a sequel anytime soon — and if it does, don't expect Trank to come back.
If you still want to see Fantastic Four, it's in theaters now.
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