Marvel’s latest superhero showing “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” made an early start to grossing millions, topping the North American box office in its previews, surpassing the US$22.5 million opening of rival DC’s “Superman”.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps grossed $24 million in its opening weekend, with projections that it will generate a total opening weekend gross of between $100 million and $110 million, and between $190 million and $210 million from its global releases.
The Marvel film, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Joseph Quinn, follows the release of Superman two weeks ago by Universal Studios, which was the highest-grossing film of 2025 so far.
Marvel hopes to dominate the box office with its latest superhero showing, with revenues higher than Superman, which opened with $125 million in North America and $200 million worldwide, and seems to be the winning side for this summer.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” still needs positive reviews and intensive promotion to boost its box office revenue, having cost over $200 million and exceeded $100 million in marketing costs.
Hollywood reports indicate that the latest two Marvel films, “Captain America: Brave New World”, and “Thunderbolts”, performed less than expected when they were released this year.
The former made $12 million in its previews and $85 million in its opening weekend, while the latter made $11.5 million in its previews and $76 million in its opening weekend.
Both films incurred losses for Marvel, costing $180 million each. It has thus placed its hopes that the Fantastic Four will make up for it.
Hollywood film analysts point to “superhero fatigue”—the overproduction of superhero productions in a single season—as the reason for the decline in the box office for Marvel’s previous two films.
The company has already announced plans to produce fewer series and movies online, focusing on quality over quantity.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps sees the titular superhero family forced to save their world from Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a planet-devouring savage, and his messenger, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
Critics have already lauded the film, which has received an 89% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, marking a promising start to its critical reception.
