‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Soars to $118 Million, Reviving Marvel’s Momentum at the Box Office

Disney’s reboot claims No. 1 over ‘Superman’ and signals a fresh direction for Marvel, as audiences embrace a lighter, standalone take on the iconic superhero team.

Disney’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has rocketed to the top of the domestic box office with an impressive $118 million opening weekend, edging out Warner Bros.’ “Superman” to claim the No. 1 spot. The long-awaited Marvel reboot marks a significant return for the franchise, which had faltered in previous iterations.

Although slightly below the optimistic $130 million projection, the film’s debut still lands within analysts’ expectations — and crucially, it outperformed every other Marvel movie released this year. That includes February’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($88.5 million) and May’s “Thunderbolts” ($74.3 million), setting a new high for the studio in 2025.

“This new phase for Marvel is truly important for the brand,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It doubles down on the ‘Thunderbolts’ success and is showing that audiences love going to superhero movies in the movie theater.”

A Fresh Formula for Marvel

A large part of this success can be attributed to the film’s format. Shawn Robbins, Fandango’s director of analytics and founder of Box Office Theory, described “First Steps” as a “zero-homework-required” experience — a movie that doesn’t demand deep familiarity with the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

“That’s exactly where their franchise needs to be right now,” said Robbins. “It not only keeps die-hard fans engaged but also brings back casual watchers who may have tuned out.”

Since 2008’s “Iron Man,” Marvel Studios has released 37 films, with four “Avengers” entries alone grossing about $10 billion combined (adjusted for inflation). But after the pandemic, the studio faced challenges maintaining momentum.

While exceptions like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($260 million in 2021) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211 million in 2024) succeeded, others underwhelmed. A contributing factor, experts say, was the complicated rollout of MCU-linked series on Disney+, which may have fatigued viewers with overlapping storylines.

Daniel Loria, editorial director at BoxOffice Pro, observed that Marvel may be contending less with “superhero fatigue” and more with “franchise fatigue.” He praised “Fantastic Four: First Steps” for offering a “fresh, new experience” that sidesteps these issues.

A Comeback for Marvel’s First Family

The success of the new “Fantastic Four” film marks a redemption arc for the superhero team, whose 2015 reboot by 20th Century Fox grossed a disappointing $76.3 million domestically throughout its entire run. In contrast, “First Steps” seems to have struck the right chord — blending nostalgia, accessibility, and reinvention.

Meanwhile, “Superman,” the latest installment in DC’s revamped universe, took second place with $25 million in its third weekend. Since debuting on July 11, it has amassed a strong $289.5 million total.

In third place was Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth”, which added $13 million in its fourth week, bringing its domestic total to $301.5 million.

Robbins pointed out the rarity — and benefit — of having DC and Marvel blockbusters in theaters simultaneously. “Casual comic book fans who may normally pick one movie to see could make an exception to see both,” he said.

Box Office Rebound in Full Swing

Industry-wide, July’s diverse slate of releases has driven a 12.3% increase in box office revenue year-to-date, according to Comscore data. Dergarabedian believes this momentum could push summer box office totals to $4 billion, marking the second post-pandemic summer to reach that benchmark.

With upcoming titles like Paramount’s “The Naked Gun” reboot set to offer even more genre variety, analysts remain optimistic.

“‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ is going to fuel a very strong month of August,” said Dergarabedian. “So what a great home stretch for the industry.”