Superman and Fantastic Four Budgets Soar Past $350M: Break-Even Sky-High (Exclusive)

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During our time at Comic-Con last weekend, a reliable source from Hollywood leaked information to Cosmic Book News that both James Gunn’s Superman and Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps have exceeded their estimated budgets significantly. Now, each film is projected to cost over $350 million, which far surpasses the commonly mentioned range of approximately $200 million to $225 million.

Based on the information, the primary reason behind the rising expenses was the need for numerous retakes in both movies.

Superman Reshoots Drove Budget Up?

According to Gunn’s Superman, it is said that one particular scene included Clark Kent scolding Lois Lane for more than ten minutes, which reportedly received intense disapproval from the test audiences.

Additionally, Gunn admitted that the notorious squirrel sequence was met with disapproval by the test audience, yet he opted to retain it regardless.

Earlier analyses concur on this point: the original composer was let go, and a significant shift occurred in the movie’s promotion tactics. It is also mentioned that director Gunn trimmed approximately 25 minutes from the final version of the film.

Break-even a lot higher

If it’s true that Gunn’s Superman movie cost over $350 million (as suggested by the Cleveland, Ohio tax document, contrary to his earlier dismissal), then the film would need to gross more than a staggering $875 million just to break even, given the industry norm of needing 2.5 times the budget to make a profit. This is significantly higher than the required revenue of $562.5 million for a movie with a $225 million budget.

Fantastic Four Changed Its Beginning and Ending After Early Cut?

Regarding the “Fantastic Four”, there are rumors suggesting that the ending of the movie might have been revised—and it’s also known that the beginning underwent changes, as the director confirmed John Malkovich’s role was eliminated. The people I conversed with at Comic-Con generally felt that excluding Malkovich from the film was a mistake and he should have remained in the production.

A confidential source disclosed that an earlier draft of the storyline had a more ominous ending where Galactus would devastate Earth and connect to the multiverse. However, this grim outcome seems to have been replaced with a less perilous one, aligning with recent whispers and conjectures while abandoning the multiverse aspect. As early as last year’s Comic-Con, discussions about the darker version included hints that Female Silver Surfer would perish and the Fantastic Four would journey from their universe to the 616, alluding to the Thunderbolts‘ post-credit scene. Yet, in the cinematic release as it stands now, Female Silver Surfer lives on, and Galactus causes no destruction, remaining intact too.

Additionally, the reshoots included scenes featuring Julia Garner portraying Shalla-Bal in her human form, a detail that aligns with recent plot revelations and feedback from test screenings.

Just as Superman would have to earn at least $875 million to cover its production costs of over $350 million and turn a profit according to industry norms, so too would the Fantastic Four.

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2025-07-29 09:01