‘Fantastic Four’ fails to draw young fans, finishes 2nd to ‘Mission’

Twentieth Century Fox’s “Fantastic Four� failed to draw young moviegoers and fell short of its opening weekend expectations, debuting in second place behind holdover “Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation.�

“Fantastic Four,� which cost $120 million to make, collected an estimated $26.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, a far cry from the $40 million to $50 million that had been forecast. Overseas it made $34.1 million in 43 markets.

Audiences skewed male (60%) and older (only 51% were younger than 25). They weren’t impressed with the reboot, giving it a C-minus grade, audience polling firm CinemaScore said.

“Clearly we are disappointed,� said Chris Aronson, head of domestic distribution for Fox. “But I think we’ll have to see how international ends up before we see where we are financially for the whole thing. It’s still early in the game.�

The film, which stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell, is a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team. The previous “Fantastic Four� film, which starred a different ensemble, finished first with a $56.1-million opening weekend in 2005 despite mixed reviews.

“I would guess the combination of critical response coupled with social media response conspired to suppress our opening,� Aronson said. “That being said, it’s a reboot and all our filmmakers had the studio’s support for this vision and the film.�

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures’ latest “Mission� topped the box office for the second weekend in a row, adding $29.4 million domestically. A well-reviewed crowd-pleaser, “Rogue Nation� crossed the $100-million mark on Sunday after 10 days of release and is now at $108.7 million.

Coming in at third: the suspense thriller “The Gift,� which exceeded tracking expectations with $12 million this weekend.

The film, produced by STX Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions, is a psychological thriller that follows a married couple (played by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) after they have a chance encounter with an acquaintance from high school (Joel Edgerton).

Audiences skewed female (53%) and older (73% were 25 or up). They gave it a solid B on CinemaScore.

This is STX Entertainment’s first film on the big screen. The studio, co-founded by businessman Robert Simonds and investment firm TPG Capital last year, focuses on films with low or mid-level budgets of $20 million to $80 million. It is expected to release 12 to 15 films next year.

In fourth place, R-rated comedy “Vacation� added $9.1 million. The film has collected of $37.3 million domestically.

Disney’s Marvel superhero comedy “Ant-Man� earned $7.8 million in its fourth weekend to take the fifth spot.

Sony’s TriStar released “Ricki and the Flash� in about 1,600 theaters this weekend (less than half the number for “Fantastic Four�), with plans to expand in the coming weeks. The film came in at seventh place with $7 million.

The film, geared toward female audiences, follows mother and rock star Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep) as she tries to reconnect with her ex-husband (Kevin Kline), daughter (Mamie Gummer, Streep’s real-life daughter) and engaged son (Sebastian Stan).

“I believe opening in this manner will speak to the longevity of the film,� said Rory Bruer, Sony’s head of distribution. “It’s a funny and poignant movie with a great ensemble cast.�

Lionsgate rolled out “Shaun the Sheep� last week. The PG-rated animated film made $4 million from Friday through Sunday and $5.6 million since it hit theaters on Wednesday.

Of the new offerings, “Shaun� had the highest CinemaScore rating of B-plus. It also nabbed a 99% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The overall box office will be down about 27% compared with the same weekend a year ago, when the $65.6-million debut of Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles� and the $42.1-million second weekend of Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy� propelled ticket sales.