Fantastic Four: First Steps Hits $100M Box Office Debut in 2025

LOS ANGELES — Marvel Studios has reignited the superhero spark with a powerful debut for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which grossed $118 million in North America over its opening weekend, studio estimates revealed Sunday. The film marked Marvel’s biggest opening of 2025 and the fourth-largest overall this year.

International audiences added another $100 million from 52 territories, pushing the film’s global opening total to $218 million — a crucial win for the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Kevin Feige’s leadership and the Walt Disney Co.

Marvel’s Comeback Moment

After a string of underwhelming box office results, Marvel is proving that “superhero fatigue” is a myth, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It’s bad movie fatigue, not superhero fatigue,” he noted.

“First Steps” follows the retro-futuristic origin of Marvel’s original super-family — astronauts turned superhumans after cosmic ray exposure in the 1960s. The reboot features Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing).

Set four years after their transformation, the plot explores Reed’s impact on global tech and Sue’s role in international peacebuilding — all while introducing classic comic book aesthetics in a refreshed cinematic universe.

Strong Audience Response

The film earned an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 46% of viewers choosing premium formats like IMAX, helping boost earnings. This strong start mirrors the success of recent hits like “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which earned $211M in its 2024 debut.

The box office surge also comes on the heels of DC’s “Superman,” which landed in second place this weekend with $24.9M and has already crossed $500 million globally.

Reclaiming the Franchise

The Fantastic Four have long struggled with screen adaptations. Disney’s $71B acquisition of Fox finally brought the franchise under the MCU umbrella, allowing Feige’s team to reset the narrative. Earlier versions — including the 2005 and 2015 films — saw mixed results and poor critical reception despite moderate profits.

Now, this reboot signals a stronger path forward for Marvel’s legacy franchises.

Box Office Outlook

“Fantastic Four: First Steps” fell slightly short of some projections, but analysts expect it to sustain earnings through August. Holdover films continue performing strongly:

  • “Jurassic World Rebirth” earned $13M in its fourth weekend.

  • “F1: The Movie,” starring Brad Pitt, brought in $6.2M and has surpassed $500M globally.

  • Newcomer “Oh, Hi!” debuted with $1.1M.

The domestic box office is now up 12% year-over-year, a promising trend heading into late summer.

Top 10 Movies: Domestic Box Office (Weekend Estimates)

  1. Fantastic Four: First Steps – $118 million

  2. Superman – $24.9 million

  3. Jurassic World Rebirth – $13 million

  4. F1: The Movie – $6.2 million

  5. Smurfs – $5.4 million

  6. I Know What You Did Last Summer – $5.1 million

  7. How to Train Your Dragon – $2.8 million

  8. Eddington – $1.7 million

  9. Saiyaara – $1.3 million

  10. Oh, Hi! – $1.1 million