The Fantastic Four: First Steps Crashes Again at Box Office in Third Weekend

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First Steps” dropped by about 60%, earning approximately $15.5 million in North American cinemas.

After experiencing a catastrophic second weekend that resulted in an approximately 66% decline from its initial release, the film’s domestic earnings in the U.S. have accumulated to roughly $230.4 million as of August 10, 2025. Globally, the movie is nearing $430 million and forecasts now suggest a final worldwide gross between $490 million and $520 million.

The new Fantastic Four movies show progress compared to earlier versions, but they don’t quite meet the high standards typically expected in a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film. Specifically, these films were anticipated to serve as major cornerstones in the MCU’s expanding universe.

The updated Fantastic Four movies are better than before, but they didn’t reach the level of quality usually found in Marvel movies, especially since they were intended to be significant building blocks for the shared Marvel universe moving forward.

In the opening act of Phase Six in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film titled First Steps, under the guidance of director Matt Shakman and featuring 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, showcases a stylish blend of modern flair and 1960s comic book charm.

The movie had its premiere on July 25, 2025, earning a robust initial domestic revenue of $117.6 million. This figure surpassed the opening weekends of earlier 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe releases such as Captain America: Brave New World ($88.8 million) and Thunderbolts* ($74.3 million).

*Thunderbolts is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Nevertheless, the initial excitement soon dwindled. The following weekend saw earnings of only $40 million, which was more than expected to drop by 66%, a decline that experts linked to an early rush of fan enthusiasm rather than widespread popularity.

The third weekend’s decline reflects the movie’s persistent challenges, worsened by competition from fresh releases like “Freakier Friday” and “Arms” (originally intended to star Pascal), along with the absence of high-end screens like IMAX.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I must admit that the recent movie I watched received a solid A- CinemaScore from audiences, suggesting a robust buzz among those who caught it initially. However, unfortunately, this positive word-of-mouth hasn’t translated into continued ticket sales.

On the critical front, the film has been generally well-received. Rotten Tomatoes awarded it an impressive 86% approval rating, while Criticless chimed in with a respectable 64%. Despite these accolades, the movie seems to have struggled to maintain its initial momentum at the box office.

Over the years, the Fantastic Four movie franchise has often struggled to make significant impacts at the box office. The first film released in 2005 managed to earn $330 million globally, while the sequel from 2007, titled Rise of the Silver Surfer, garnered $301 million – figures that were decent but fell short of blockbuster status.

In a completely different turn of events from the 2015 reboot, Fant4stic, I’ve been part of something that started off quite differently – a success story rather than a notorious flop. While Fant4stic managed to garner only $167 million worldwide against its budget of $120 million, my project, First Steps, has already surpassed those domestic totals and even outperformed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ entire $224.5 million U.S. run. It feels great to be part of a team that’s making history!

Despite being a contemporary blockbuster for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie’s progress seems to represent a setback, given that this year has seen two consecutive Marvel disappointments with “Brave New World” (final global: $415.1 million) and “Thunderbolts*” ($382.4 million).

*Note: Thunderbolts is a fictional team in the Marvel Comics universe, but as of now, there’s no officially announced film titled “Thunderbolts”. The movie you’re referring to might be another one.

Experts attribute the decline to multiple factors. As Erik Kain from Forbes suggests, one reason could be that the Fantastic Four characters don’t carry the same cultural recognition as icons such as Batman or Spider-Man. This might make it difficult to attract casual viewers beyond dedicated Marvel enthusiasts. However, this didn’t deter characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, who managed impressive box office success despite being less known than Marvel’s founding team.

The drop in viewership for the movie was significant, decreasing by 66% in its second week and another 60% in the third. However, movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw a steeper decline of 67.5% in its second weekend, had a stronger initial release with a base of $260 million. Furthermore, some adversity from Disney’s own films and a relatively calm August season have not been helpful. Nevertheless, the absence of intense competition might enable First Steps to slowly reach between $260-265 million domestically.

Comparison to DC’s Superman: A Tale of Better Legs

The challenges faced in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” starkly contrast with the success of Superman, directed by James Gunn and released on July 11, 2025. In this film, David Corenswet portrays Superman, Rachel Brosnahan is Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor. The movie opened to a domestic box office of $125 million, slightly surpassing “First Steps,” and has shown greater longevity in theaters.

In the second weekend, the movie Superman saw a modest decrease of 53%, earning $57.2 million. By the third week, it dropped another 56% to around $25 million. During the fourth weekend (August 1-3), it made an additional $13.855 million, maintaining 44% of its audience, bringing its domestic total to $316 million. As of August 8, 2025, Superman has grossed $326 million domestically and $570 million worldwide, indicating it’s on course to surpass the $600 million mark globally.

2025’s top-earning superhero movie is currently this one, surpassing all Marvel films released this year that were attempted to compete with it in terms of box office revenue.

Implications for Marvel and the Superhero Genre

The poor performance of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” poses challenging questions for Marvel Studios as they approach 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” Although the movie has surpassed its predecessors and might bring a small profit, its failure to sustain excitement despite early enthusiasm suggests more significant problems. As reported by “Den of Geek,” audiences may be seeking originality rather than reboots, even as successes like “Deadpool & Wolverine” demonstrate that the genre hasn’t lost its appeal entirely.

Currently, the story “First Steps” functions as a warning tale. It shows that having good ratings and a unique perspective may not always guarantee success in a market that’s already overflowing. As Marvel readjusts its strategy, DC’s Superman illustrates that classic characters with strong execution can continue to soar high.

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2025-08-11 14:57