I’ve been a Marvel fan since I was knee‑high to a Ka-Zar action figure, so yes—I’m a little biased—but even I was stunned by how The Fantastic Four: First Steps soared during its debut. After wrapping filming in late 2024, Marvel Studios released the reboot on July 25, 2025, and the results have made box-office history.
Marvel’s latest, directed by Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss‑Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, chose not to rehash origin stories. Instead, it dropped fans mid‑phase into the team’s lives, four years post‑cosmic accident. The film opened with a massive $118 million domestically—Marvel’s first nine‑digit launch of 2025—and totaled $218 million globally over the weekend.
That $118 million debut is the biggest launch ever in the Fantastic Four franchise by a wide margin, easily dwarfing the adjusted opening of 2005’s Fantastic Four ($56 M; ~$91 M inflation adj.) and 2007’s Rise of the Silver Surfer ($58 M; ~$90 M adj.).
Superman Continues To Hold Its Own
Just two weeks prior, James Gunn’s Superman had opened to $125 million. As Fantastic Four dominated the weekend, Superman dipped to a respectable $24.9 million in its third weekend—a 57 percent drop—but still sits near $289.5 million domestic and over $500 million worldwide.
That decline mirrors a typical summer blockbuster trajectory—Superman’s 54 percent drop isn’t ideal, but it’s far from a disaster when compared to genre norms.
Context & Record‑Breaking Stats
| Metric | Fantastic Four: First Steps | Fantastic Four (2005) / Silver Surfer (2007) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening weekend (domestic) | $118 M | $56.1 M / $58.1 M (~$92 M / $90 M adj.) |
| Global 3‑day total | $218 M | ~333 M / 302 M worldwide total |
| Rotten Tomatoes scores | 87 % critics / 93 % audience | 27 %–37 % critics; 45–51 % audiences |
Critics have embraced mainly the film: Houston Chronicle called it a nostalgic throw‑back that balances heart with space‑age aesthetics, while Decider hailed it as the most polished Fantastic Four adaptation yet and a fitting MCU debut for Marvel’s First Family.
This release marks the MCU’s reclamation of the Fantastic Four IP—long mishandled by earlier Fox films—and signals renewed momentum under Disney. Marvel even bypassed origin fatigue by jumping straight into team dynamics as established heroes—an approach that viewers and critics loved.l
Fantastic Four now stands as the studio’s best launch of the year after Deadpool & Wolverine, and closely rivals Superman in cultural impact and box‑office traction.
As for Superman, it’s holding firm, climbing past $500 million globally and keeping the DC universe alive in the zeitgeist, even as Marvel steals the weekend spotlight.
Bottom line: The Fantastic Four: First Steps didn’t just break past franchise norms—it obliterated them. And while Superman continues its flight, Marvel’s First Family just showed they can compete—and maybe even lead.
Lexi Carson covers the buzziest campaigns, brand beefs, and streaming shake-ups. She’s known for her razor-sharp takes, obsession with 90s ad jingles, and a red bob that’s never once missed a deadline.
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