“Fantastic Four,” a retro-futuristic adventure starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the titular team. Variety
Marvel Studios’ newest release, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, blasted off to a stellar start at the domestic box office, raking in $118 million across 4,125 North American theaters. This launch surpassed industry projections, which hovered between $100 million and $110 million.
Internationally, the film collected an additional $100 million, bringing its global opening to a mighty $218 million. The movie’s strong debut marks a much-needed win for Marvel Studios, which has faced recent challenges with newer characters and lackluster box office returns.
Marvel’s Comeback Moment
Directed by Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces a retro-futuristic take on Marvel’s original superhero team. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Human Torch. The plot follows the iconic quartet battling a planet-devouring cosmic entity threatening Earth.
With Marvel’s recent struggles to maintain momentum post-pandemic, the success of Fantastic Four signals a hopeful turn. While titles like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever performed well, other films — particularly those introducing lesser-known characters — stumbled.
This May’s Thunderbolts ended its run at $382 million, one of the lowest in Marvel’s 37-film catalog. Following Disney CEO Bob Iger’s push to “do less, but better,” Fantastic Four might represent the quality-over-quantity reset Marvel needs.
Strong Reviews Fuel Fantastic Performance
Unlike recent Marvel entries that opened strong but quickly fell off due to poor reception, First Steps benefits from excellent word-of-mouth. The film currently holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an “A-” CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences.
Its positive reception, combined with minimal direct competition, has allowed it to dominate theaters.
Premium Formats Drive Revenue
A notable 46% of ticket sales came from premium large formats. IMAX alone contributed $16 million domestically, making up 13.6% of the total weekend revenue — the second-highest share ever for an MCU title.
The demographic skewed heavily male (70%), and 42% of ticket buyers were under the age of 25.
A Long Road to Redemption for Marvel’s First Family
Hollywood has tried for years to bring The Fantastic Four to life on the big screen. Earlier efforts, including Fox’s 2005 version and its 2007 sequel, had decent box office numbers but were panned by critics. The 2015 reboot failed altogether, earning just $167 million globally.
But this time, Marvel seems to have finally struck the right chord. Industry analyst David A. Gross remarked, “Fantastic Four was a modest and struggling superhero series; it just caught up with the biggest and the best.”
Strong Start Among 2025’s Heavy Hitters
Fantastic Four: First Steps now holds the year’s fourth-largest domestic opening, trailing Minecraft ($162M), Lilo & Stitch ($146M), and Superman ($125M).
Superman, now in its third weekend, dropped to second place with $24.9 million, a 57% slide. The film’s domestic earnings total $289.5 million, with a global haul of $502.7 million.
Other Box Office Standouts
In third place, Jurassic World Rebirth collected $13 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its North American total to $301 million and a global tally of $718 million.
Apple’s F1: The Movie continues its impressive run in fourth with $6.2 million, bringing its worldwide earnings to $509 million. Despite a massive $250 million budget, the Brad Pitt-led racing film has become Apple’s highest-grossing movie to date.
Rounding out the top five, Paramount’s Smurfs earned $5.4 million, totaling $69 million globally so far.
In sixth place, Sony’s horror sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer brought in $5.1 million and has earned $45.5 million worldwide. Made on a modest $18 million budget, the slasher sequel is set to turn a profit.
Superheroes Regain Momentum
“Fantastic Four and Superman are performing extremely well,” noted Gross. “Superheroes are showing some swagger again — and it’s good news for the industry.”
With strong audience interest and high-quality output, the superhero genre may be on the rise once more. Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps appears to be leading the charge.
