Fantastic Four is already a complete disaster, yet the studio is apparently still committed to moving forward with the sequel that absolutely nobody wants.
Fox domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson told The Hollywood Reporter that although they're disappointed by the box office gross, they "remain committed to these characters and we have a lot to look forward to in our Marvel universe."
Aronson didn't specifically confirm that they're still doing Fantastic Four 2, which is currently scheduled for 2017, but it certainly sounds like they aren't about to sell the rights back to Marvel just yet.
Meanwhile, HitFix is reporting that the studio does indeed plan to move forward with the sequel, and although it might not make the 2017 release date, Fox definitely still plans to produce it.
That's a little perplexing considering Fantastic Four has already become one of the biggest disasters in comic book movie history. The production was allegedly plagued by studio meddling and reshoots, and director Josh Trank disowned his own film before it even opened theatrically. It grossed an insanely low $26.2 million in its opening weekend, and it also received a C- CinemaScore from audiences. That's the lowest CinemaScore in the history of superhero movies.
Yet in spite of all this, Fox isn't giving up. At least the sequel is virtually guaranteed to be an improvement.
image of ‘Fantastic Four’ cast courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com