Fantastic Four: First Steps Dominates Box Office with Impressive Opening
Mister Fantastic and his remarkable family have taken to the skies in style! Directed by Matt Shakman, Fantastic Four: First Steps has soared to the top of the North American box office, raking in an impressive $57 million on its opening Friday. This strong performance surpassed initial tracking predictions and sets the film on track for a franchise-best debut, expected to reach between $120 million and $125 million. This is a significant victory for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios, with industry insiders leaning toward the higher end of those projections.
Globally, the film has already crossed the $100 million mark, accumulating $49.2 million from international markets, bringing its early worldwide total to $106.2 million through Friday. Notably, First Steps recorded the second-largest opening day of the year in the U.S., just behind A Minecraft Movie, which earned $57.1 million. Its impressive $24.4 million from Thursday previews marks the best preview gross of the year, surpassing DC’s Superman, which brought in $22.5 million, and is the highest preview figure for any film since last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
The positive reception of Fantastic Four: First Steps is a welcome sight for Disney’s Marvel, especially after a challenging few years—Deadpool & Wolverine being a notable exception. If current trends continue, this reboot will mark Marvel’s best domestic opening since 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Early indications suggest it is slightly outperforming Superman at the box office.
On the same day, Disney achieved a milestone by becoming the first Hollywood studio to surpass $3 billion in global ticket sales for the year. Meanwhile, Superman enjoyed a successful debut with $125 million domestically and $95 million internationally, though its overseas performance has fallen short of expectations due to themes traditionally associated with the character. In contrast, Fantastic Four is expected to perform better internationally, given the franchise’s historical success in overseas markets.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, First Steps is receiving acclaim for its retro 1960s aesthetic. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, a brilliant scientist leading a space expedition with his wife Sue Storm (played by Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and their friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). When their rocket encounters a cosmic storm, their DNA is altered, granting them superpowers. The story picks up after their return to Earth, where they’ve become celebrated heroes. However, their journey isn’t over; they must return to space when the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives with dire news about an impending threat from the cosmic entity known as Galactus.
From a box office perspective, Fantastic Four aims to appeal to both families and comic book enthusiasts, helping to combat the ongoing superhero fatigue. Early audience reactions are overwhelmingly positive, with an A- CinemaScore, excellent ratings on PostTrak, and a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics are echoing these sentiments. Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney notes, “The pleasing back-to-basics feel in Fantastic Four: First Steps suggests Marvel has learned valuable lessons from its recent box office underperformers. The film prioritizes character development over the typical barrage of CGI action, giving viewers relatable characters to connect with.”
In the competition, Superman continues to perform well, even as it loses IMAX screens to Fantastic Four. The DC film is projected to finish its third weekend with nearly $300 million in domestic sales and over $500 million globally. Meanwhile, Universal and Amblin’s Jurassic World: Rebirth is also celebrating a milestone, expected to cross $300 million domestically this weekend after surpassing $600 million globally last week.
Stay tuned for more updates as we track the success of Fantastic Four: First Steps and its impact on the box office landscape!
