‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Notches $118 Million Opening Weekend—Just Trailing ‘Superman' Opening
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby attend a launch event for "The ... More Fantastic Four: First Steps" in Berlin. Getty Images
The new adaptation of the iconic Marvel superhero team starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bacharach and Joseph Quinn received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, according to Rotten Tomatoes, propelling the film globally to a $218 million opening weekend after factoring in another $100 million overseas.
The Matt Shakman-directed Marvel film boasted the year's second-highest opening day, grossing $57 million at the domestic box office Friday—placing it behind only 'A Minecraft Movie,' which opened with $57.11 million in April.
The film met projections from Box Office Pro, who estimated it could gross in the $115 million–$135 million range—but fell behind some bullish predictions from insiders who saw the first night sales, Deadline reported.
The ticket sales propelled it to the fourth-highest opening weekend of the year, behind 'A Minecraft Movie' ($162 million), 'Lilo & Stitch' ($146 million), and 'Superman' ($125 million).
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' marks the biggest hit for Marvel Studios at the box office this year. The studio that enjoyed outsized success with big budget superhero movies in an interconnected cinematic universe was off to a slower start in 2025 than it was used to. 'Captain America: Brave New World' opened with $88 million, while 'Thunderbolts*' opened with only $74.3 million. 'Thunderbolts*,' which opened in May, ended up grossing over $382 million at the box office, but was still among the lowest earning Marvel Cinematic Universe films released since the project began. Surprising Fact
Although the Fantastic Four comics have been around since 1961, the past attempts to adapt the Marvel mainstays have mostly underperformed at the box office. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' has now had the best opening weekend of any of the past three adaptations. 'Fantastic Four,' the first adaptation in 2005, starring Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, opened with $56 million before finishing at around $333.5 million worldwide by the end of its run in theaters. The sequel, 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,' opened with $58 million at the domestic box office in 2007, but ended up grossing less than the first installment, with $301.9 million worldwide. The 2015 reboot 'Fantastic Four,' directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell mostly flopped, opening with only $25 million at the domestic box office and grossing $167.9 million worldwide.
Big hits from the previous weeks rounded out the rest of the box office charts over the weekend, with 'Superman' grossing about $25 million for second place. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' remained in third place with a $13 million weekend, and 'F1' hung on after debuting in June to gross about $6 million, according to early figures reported by Hollywood trade publications.
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Los Angeles Times
2 minutes ago
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UPI
33 minutes ago
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'Fantastic Four' tops North American box office with $118M
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CNN
an hour ago
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‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' rockets to $118 million
Disney's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' stormed the domestic box office, topping superhero competitor 'Superman' to finish No. 1 with $118 million. The reboot was a major comeback for the series, falling within range of analysts' expectations but short of a hopeful $130 million. 'Fantastic Four' is also the best-performing weekend for a Marvel film this year, easily surpassing 'Captain America: Brave New World' in February ($88.5 million) and 'Thunderbolts' in May ($74.3 million). 'This new phase for Marvel is truly important for the brand,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore, adding that it 'doubles down on the 'Thunderbolts' success and is showing that audiences love going to superhero movies in the movie theater.' Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory, called 'Fantastic Four' a 'zero-homework-required' release, because it stands separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's established storylines. 'That's exactly where their franchise needs to be right now, as they not only try to keep those die-hard fans but bring back some of the more casual watchers,' said Robbins. While some industry experts have said moviegoers may be experiencing 'superhero fatigue,' Daniel Loria, editorial director at BoxOffice Pro, said Marvel may be slowed by 'franchise fatigue.' Marvel Studios has released 37 movies since 'Iron Man' in 2008, with four 'Avengers' movies between 2012 and 2019 having combined to gross about $10 billion when adjusted for inflation. Perhaps adding to the Marvel fatigue was Disney releasing Marvel Cinematic Universe television series on its streaming service, which complicated the franchise, Dergarabedian said. It hasn't helped matters that since the pandemic, Marvel movies have failed to get off to a hot start, with 2024's 'Deadpool & Wolverine' ($211 million) and 2021's 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' ($260 million) being exceptions. 'So much of (the franchise) is readily available at home,' Loria said. 'I don't think 'Fantastic Four' plays into any of that. It's a fresh, new experience, and I think audiences are responding to that.' 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' should help lift the franchise after the box office disappointment of 20th Century Fox's 2015 'Fantastic Four,' which grossed just $76.3 million domestically during its entire run, adjusted for inflation. Finishing No. 2 at the domestic weekend box office was Warner Bros. Pictures' 'Superman,' which grossed nearly $25 million. 'Superman,' part of the revamped DC movie universe, has so far grossed $289.5 million since opening on July 11. Dergarabedian said that the success of this month's two superhero films shows that 'if that genre or category of film were to disappear, it'd be devastating for the industry.' Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Universal Pictures' 'Jurassic World Rebirth' came in third at the domestic box office, having grossed $13 million in its fourth week in theaters. It's grossed $301.51 million domestically so far. Robbins noted that there haven't been major examples of a DC and Marvel movie playing in theaters at the same time. He added that casual comic book fans who may normally pick one movie to see could make an exception to see both films in theaters. Loria cited a diverse slate of movies for continued moviegoing momentum. Aside from 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' Paramount Pictures' comedy 'The Naked Gun,' which opens Friday, will open to offer 'a fresh, new genre.' This month's movie slate has lifted the box office 12.3% year-to-date compared to the same time last year, according to Comscore data. And the box office could still reach $4 billion this summer, Dergarabedian said, which would mark the second post-pandemic summer box office to reach that level. ''The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is going to fuel a very strong month of August. So what a great home stretch for the industry,' he said.
