8 Signs Fantastic Four Was Always Guaranteed To Suck
2. The Reviews
The fact that reviews for Fantastic Four were embargoed until a day before release was not a good sign. Reviews for the majority of Marvel Studios movies - or any release which the studio has full confidence in - tend to come online a good week or two ahead of the film's big screen debut, so Fox holding them back was a clear indication that they had little faith in it. The first wave of reviews for Fantastic Four came from trades like The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, and Variety. They always tend to be tough on superhero movies, but found nothing good to say about the reboot. With it being described as "not an embarrassment, but an experiment that didnt gel" there were still those who thought that entertainment websites and geek blogs would be a little kinder to the movie; they weren't. Every review was of the 1* and 2* variety, with the odd 3* review which seemed to struggle to justify going even that high. That already low Rotten Tomatoes score plummeted as a result, and Fantastic Four now has a 9% approval rating, making it one of the worst reviewed comic book movies of all-time. Of course, there are plenty of movies which have received terrible reviews but still been box office successes, so there was still nothing at this point to say that wouldn't be the case for Fantastic Four. Not even word of mouth could save the movie, as it received a dreaded C- CinemaScore from moviegoers in North America. That's the worst rating ever for a superhero move (worse even than Batman And Robin), and a sure fire sign that Fantastic Four failed to connect with critics, fans, and the general audience. That would be reflected in its abysmal box office performance.
