Caffeinated Clint
Despite getting more of a battering than a piece of fat flake, FOX’s so-so superhero film "Fantastic Four" has surpassed expectations – opening at Number 1 at the box office and raking in a reasonably impressive $56 million at the box office since it’s release last week.
Surprisingly – considering the bashing it’s had since it went into production – the film version of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s comic series is the fourth biggest opener ever for a Marvel movie, after the two "Spider-Man" films and "X-Men 2".
Avi Arad, chairman of Marvel and all-round studio spruiker, tells The Los Angeles Times that because of the numbers – the sequel is a sure-thing now. "Of Course there will be a sequel", he tells the paper. "Now the constituency is much larger".
FOX’s Bruce Snyder and Hutch Parker suggested it was the film’s "fun" factor that fueled interest. "You’ve had a series of pretty dark films, and the audience was starved for a good time," Parker said, adding that "part of the reason this has been such a big deal for Marvel is that it has taken 10 years for us and more like 20 for Avi and Marvel" to get the movie into theaters.
All the cast are signed for a sequel. It’s been mooted that the wicked ‘Puppet Master’ will be introduced in the next round.
