LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marvel’s iconic superhero family, the Fantastic Four, has finally hit a milestone at the box office with their new film, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Under the creative direction of Kevin Feige and the Disney umbrella, the movie raked in an impressive $118 million during its opening weekend across 4,125 theaters in North America, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday.
The blockbuster ranks as the fourth highest-grossing debut of 2025, following other major hits like "A Minecraft Movie," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Superman." It also marks the most significant Marvel opening since “Deadpool & Wolverine” grossed $211 million last summer. Moreover, “Fantastic Four” accumulated another $100 million from 52 international markets, culminating in a total worldwide debut of $218 million, aligning closely with the studio’s projections.
This latest iteration of the beloved franchise follows in the wake of James Gunn’s "Superman," which debuted three weekends prior and has already surpassed $500 million globally. That film, from rival DC Studios, landed second place with $24.9 million in its latest weekend.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, shared optimism about the box office trend, suggesting that the chatter about ‘superhero fatigue’ can now be dismissed. "It seems more like a case of bad films rather than a decline in interest for superhero stories," he remarked.
“First Steps” marks yet another effort to bring the Fantastic Four to life on the big screen, especially after previous adaptations struggled to capture audiences. Set in a retro-futuristic 1960s landscape, the story revolves around this family of astronauts-turned-superhumans, who gain extraordinary abilities from cosmic ray exposure.
The family includes Reed Richards (played by Pedro Pascal), who can extend his body beyond normal limits; Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), capable of invisibility; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), who transforms into a blazing human torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who boasts immense strength thanks to his stone-like skin. The narrative unfolds four years after the family acquires their powers, showcasing Reed’s breakthrough innovations and Sue’s success in fostering global diplomacy.
With an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and favorable audience feedback during the opening weekend—46% of viewers opted for premium viewing formats like IMAX—"First Steps" appears to have struck a chord with both critics and fans.
Despite struggling films earlier in 2025 failing to meet box office expectations like "Deadpool & Wolverine," which earned over $1.3 billion, Marvel is slowly rebuilding its cinematic reputation. The films preceding “First Steps,” such as “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts,” demonstrated a critical resurgence, but financially fell short, grossing $415 million and just over $382 million, respectively.
Historically, the Fantastic Four characters were once under 20th Century Fox, which produced two poorly received yet financially viable films in the mid-2000s, featuring future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. A failed reboot in 2015 with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller led to this new opportunity following Disney’s acquisition of Fox’s entertainment divisions in 2019.
While the weekend box office figures were slightly below rival studio forecasts, experts believe the film will sustain good earnings through August.
The charts were dominated by holdover films, with the dark romantic comedy "Oh, Hi!" earning a modest $1.1 million from 866 screens. “Jurassic World Rebirth” held steady in third with $13 million, and “F1” followed close behind at $6.2 million, its overall total exceeding $500 million globally. The animated "Smurfs" rounded out the top five, collecting $5.4 million in its second weekend. Overall, box office revenue is currently up over 12% compared to last year.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
As of the latest updates on Monday, here are the estimated ticket sales for the weekend from U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” – $118 million
- “Superman” – $24.9 million
- “Jurassic World Rebirth” – $13 million
- “F1: The Movie” – $6.2 million
- “Smurfs” – $5.4 million
- “I Know What You Did Last Summer” – $5.1 million
- “How to Train Your Dragon” – $2.8 million
- “Eddington” – $1.7 million
- “Saiyaara” – $1.3 million
- “Oh, Hi!” – $1.1 million