The Fantastic Four: First Steps Lands As A Big Win For Marvel At The Weekend Box Office

While a significant part of the Marvel Comics legacy, the Fantastic Four doesn't have a particularly great big screen history. The first theatrically released blockbuster featuring the team (not counting the notorious and 1994 movie) performed modestly at the box office in 2005 – earning over $300 million against an $87.5 million budget – but it was critically planned, and ticket sales dipped instead of rose with the release of Tim Story's Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer two years later (a title also not exactly loved by critics). And the less that's said about the Josh Trank-directed Fantastic Four flop from 2015, the better.

Now that the rights to Marvel's First Family have returned home, however, the legacy is changing. While Marvel Studios' track record has been iffier in recent years compared to the glory days of the Infinity Saga, Matt Shakman's The Fantastic Four: First Steps is looking like a legitimate hit three days into its release. The early box office results are in for the 2025 film's opening weekend, and it easily took over the number one spot domestically, bumping out James Gunn's Superman. You can check out the full Top 10 below and join me after for analysis.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Fittingly Had The Fourth Best Domestic Debut Of 2025 This Weekend

There was a two year stretch when a nine-figure opening weekend was essentially an inevitability for films released by Marvel Studios. From early May 2017 (the release of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) to late April 2019 (the release of Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame), the production company released eight blockbusters, and the only one one among them that didn't earn over $100 million domestically in its first three days was Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp.

In contrast, pulling off that particular feat has been much more challenging recently, as Shawn Levy's Deadpool & Wolverine has been the only title to pull that off since the arrival of Nia DaCosta's The Marvels in late 2023 – but that just makes the opening weekend performance by The Fantastic Four: First Steps all the more significant.

While neither Julius Onah's Captain America: Brave New World nor Jake Schreier's Thunderbolts* (a.k.a. The New Avengers) managed to really blow anybody's hair back box office-wise when they arrived on the big screen in mid-February and early May, respectively, the latest title from the Marvel Cinematic Universe made $118 million over the last three days, according to The Numbers.

That number is easily the fourth biggest opening weekend we've seen thus far in 2025, the blockbuster having outperformed Gareth Edwards' Jurassic World: Rebirth, which made $92 million in its first Friday-to-Sunday earlier this month. Only Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million), Dean Fleischer Camp's Lilo & Stitch ($146.2 million), and Superman ($125 million) have had stronger debuts in this calendar year. It can also be said that it's by far the biggest domestic start for a Fantastic Four movie, as that record was previously held by Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, which brought in $58.1 million in the earliest days of its run.

With its $200 million price tag (per Variety), Fantastic Four: First Steps is easily the most expensive movie made about the eponymous team to date, but its already verging on being the most successful title theatrically. In 2005, Tim Story's Fantastic Four left cinemas around the globe having made $333.1 million, and the new Marvel Cinematic Universe title has already made $218 million globally. That means it has already outgrossed 2015's Fantastic Four ($167.8 million), and it is all but guaranteed that it will surpass the $289.5 million made by Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer by this time next week.

While I can't say that I personally loved Fantastic Four: First Steps (as I explain in my CinemaBlend review), the film has definitely gotten a warm reception overall – with critics lauding its cozy, retrofuturistic vibe and opening weekend audiences delivering an "A-" grade via CinemaScore surveys. That kind of positive word of mouth is going to be important for the release in order for it to grow legs during the month of August... and it's going to need long term success given the significant size of its budget.

Next weekend will be a significant challenge: in addition to the fact that Marvel Studios titles have experienced some significant issues in recent years regarding weekend-to-weekend numbers following their debuts, there is some potential competition aiming for key demographics coming out on Friday that could prove challenging.

Superman Crosses Yet Another Box Office Milestone Despite Direct Competition From Fantastic Four

There was never any question that Fantastic Four: First Steps would have a significant impact on the box office numbers for Superman. The same core audience that was excited for the big screen arrival of the DC Universe has also been waiting years for Marvel Studios to make a Fantastic Four movie, so it's not surprising in the slightest to see the attention shift.

That being said, the latest feature from James Gunn still managed to retain some heat during its third weekend. In the last three days, it made about $100 million less than what it earned during its opening, but it still managed to add $24.9 million to its domestic haul – allowing it to easily stay in second place – and the blockbuster has crossed another box office milestone. In my column last Sunday, I pointed out that the movie had made $400 million worldwide; today, it can be reported that the title has eclipsed $500 million.

In the United States and Canada, Superman has now surpassed the total gross of Ryan Coogler's Sinners (which finished its run in the region making $278.6 million), and despite being released one-and-a-half weeks later, it is only about $12 million short of overtaking Jurassic World: Rebirth as the third biggest film of 2025 on the domestic chart.

Worldwide, Superman is looking to soon outpace Joseph Kosinski's F1, which, as of most recent reporting, has made $509.7 million globally and still going. The James Gunn movie is presently ranked as the eighth most successful theatrical release of 2025, and just how high it can climb before its ready for the home video market will be something I'll be keeping an eye on for the rest of the summer.

As teased earlier, the box office should get a fascinating injection of new energy as the calendar flips to August and Fantastic Four: First Steps will face some interesting challengers in Pierre Perifel's family-friendly The Bad Guys 2 and Akiva Schaffer's more adult-oriented comedy The Naked Gun. How will they shake up the Top 10? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to find out.