Ebon Moss-Bachrach in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, is beating pre-release projections on its way to a $125 million opening at the domestic box office.
The fourth film iteration of Marvel’s First Family of Superheroes stars Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing, respectively.
Rather than going the origin film route, director Matt Shakman picks up the story four years after a cosmic event during a space mission altered each of the scientists’ DNA and gave them unique superpowers.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps — which marks the characters’ debut in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe— earned an estimated $56 million on Friday and is projected by Deadline to earn $125 million in the film’s opening Friday to Sunday frame. The film opened Friday in 4,125 North American theaters after playing in Thursday previews.
If Deadline’s $125 million opening weekend projection holds, it will match the same amount of money James Gunn’s Superman earned from July 11-13. Released by Warner Bros.’ DC Studios division, Superman opened on 4,135 screens in its opening weekend.
To date, Superman has earned $264.6 million domestically and $172.7 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $437.2 million against a $225 million production budget before prints and advertising costs, according to The Numbers.
David Corenswet in “Superman.”
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Box Office Was Projected To Open Much Lighter
Going into the weekend, three major Hollywood trade publications all projected The Fantastic Four: First Steps to open with anywhere between $100 million to $110 million domestically, an amount far below Superman’s $125 million opening.
As such, Disney and Marvel Studios will no doubt be celebrating the overperformance of the film after the lackluster showings of the studios’ first two MCU releases of 2025: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thunderbolts* (aka The New Avengers).
With the huge opening for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Superman will no doubt be kicked off the top of the domestic box office perch, but how far it will fall is yet to be seen.
In the film’s second weekend, from July 18-20, Superman held onto the No. 1 spot domestically with a take of $58.4 million. Since there are no other wide releases this weekend and Superman handily defeated last weekend’s newcomers I Know What You Did Last Summer, Smurfs and Eddington, in all likelihood the latest Man of Steel film will finish at No. 2 at the domestic box office this weekend.
Note: This box office report will be updated throughout the weekend as new numbers are released. The final numbers for this weekend’s box office will be released on Monday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/07/25/fantastic-four-first-steps-defying-expectations-at-weekend-box-office/