By India McCarty
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS has officially become one of Disney’s top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time.
“Thanks to its most recent fifth weekend in theaters, in which it took home another $6 million domestically, finishing fourth in the rankings, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS has now entered an eye-catching list, namely the 50 highest-grossing Disney movies of all time at the US box office,” Collider reported.
According to BoxOfficeMojo, the movie has earned over $492 million at the global box office, thanks, in part, to its pro-family message.
“THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS is one of the more entertaining, engaging, exciting superhero movies,” Movieguide®’s review reads. “It also has one of the most heartwarming, powerful premises in years, because it focuses on protecting the family. As such, it stresses the importance of fathers and mothers.”
Related: This Marvel Movie Soars, Thanks to a Pro-Family Message
In fact, family was how the movie’s director, Matt Shakman, ended up scoring the job. During a meeting with producer Grant Curtis, Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito and chief Kevin Feige, Shakman “showed a picture of himself holding his daughter right after she was born,” Curtis recalled in an interview with Variety.
“To see how much importance he put into family — when we saw that, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a no-brainer,’” he continued.
Shakman connected with the family message that runs through the FANTASTIC FOUR comic books, saying, “[Reed Richards and Sue Storm] are parents first. They are scientists and explorers second. And they’re superheroes only when they have to be. I come at this as a dad and as a husband. That’s what makes it so special to me.”
The director’s daughter even ended up in the final cut of THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, appearing in a scene where Johnny Storm, a.k.a The Human Torch, swoops in and saves her.
“That’s my daughter. That’s Maisie Shakman,” Shakman said. “She really wanted to do it. As a recovered child actor, I was deeply ambivalent about it. But she does gymnastics. She got put on wires, got to fly around. She had the best time.”
Speaking to the Motion Picture Association, Shakman said he hopes audiences take away a “sense of optimism” from the movie.
“The fact that it’s a family is also really important,” he continued. “There’s so much we see in THE FANTASTIC FOUR because they’re a family that you don’t see in other superhero movies. There’s a relatability in that they have big public personalities, but they go home, and they’re domestic and messy just like the rest of us, and they have the same fights, and love each other. It’s what has made them popular decade after decade, and trying to capture that on film has been my goal.”
Viewers around the world were entertained by THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS exciting action sequences, as well as its message of family; it’s no wonder the movie has become one of Disney’s highest earners.
Read Next: FANTASTIC FOUR Star Says Role Prepared Her for Motherhood: It ‘Changed Me’
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