4 Reasons Why Fantastic Four Should Have Worked (And 4 Reasons It Didn’t)

4) Negative Press

Trank’s explosive Tweet couldn’t have been sent out at a worst time. Despite deleting the message the night before Fantastic Four was released, box office analysts estimate that the director’s actions potentially cost Fox $10 million, and legal action may now be pursued. The negative press certainly impacted the movie’s overall takings, but there were issues in the public’s perception of the Fantastic Four long before Trank sent out his tweet.

Many fans were against this reboot since day one, unfairly so given the lack of information they had, and this constant online trolling made both Trank and the studio feel like they had something to prove. When details such as Dr. Doom’s name change and hacker background were revealed, the internet was quick to denounce the film. Unfortunately, the producers gave in to the trolls to appease them and it’s likely that changes such as this would have contributed at least partly to the script’s uneven tone.

Trolls will interpret the failure of the Fantastic Four reboot as proof that their views were justified all along, despite the fact that they lacked evidence to support their claims until the film actually came out. What many won’t take into account is that while 99% of the blame should deservedly be shared between Fox and Trank, the trolls should accept a small portion of the blame too. Few blockbusters of this magnitude have had to endure such extreme negativity from day one of production and not only did this contribute to the poor word of mouth reaction that the film received, but it even helped shape certain elements of the script itself.

Tell us, who do you think should be blamed for the failure of the Fantastic Four reboot? Will anyone ever make a successful version of Marvel’s First Family for the big screen? And should Marvel receive the rights back? Sound off in the comments section below.