Los Angeles, CA – Marvel Studios’ highly expected Fantastic Four: First Steps is expected to debut with a hefty $120 million to $125 million domestic weekend, based on consensus tracking and early box office reaction. The performance represents a high-profile revival for the franchise and situates it as Marvel’s strong late-summer player following DC’s hit Superman reboot.
First-Day Power: $57 Million Previews
The movie opened with strong preview day box office: $57 million in North American box office tickets, including showtimes on Wednesday night. The figure narrowly edged Superman’s opening preview day ($56 million), marking Fantastic Four as the year’s largest superhero opening day in theaters.
Industry experts now project the movie to hit or just surpass its estimated range, particularly if good word-of-mouth accumulates after initial reviews.
Projections and Box Office Context
Present tracking indicates a complete domestic weekend in the range of $120 million to $125 million, with higher-end projections reaching for $130 million or more as previews and ticketing increase.
Box Office Theory projects first-night Thursday previews at $22 million, possibly reaching $25 million based on how fans respond. Boxoffice Pro is predicting an opening weekend in the range of $100 million to $125 million, aligning the movie with Marvel franchises such as Quantumania and Guardians Vol. 3 and not soft recent openings.
Marvel vs. DC: A Tale of Two Reboots
The movie’s opening follows on the heels of DC’s Superman remake, which opened in the US at $125 million. While Superman maintained a wider lead internationally, Fantastic Four seems to be closing it on domestic ground.
Fantastic Four beat Superman on Friday with a nominally larger opening day haul, a small margin (~$900k–$1M) but psychologically significant in the intense competition between the two superhero franchises.
Both movies are projected to come in at the $220M–$230M global opening range, tying this summer’s double debut performance.
Why This Launch Is Important
For Marvel, First Steps is both a new franchise launch and a strategic reboot. Following consecutive disappointing Phase Six openers (Thunderbolts and Brave New World), expectations were subdued. This movie’s momentum is a welcome turnaround, pacing well ahead of both Captain America (#88.8M) and Thunderbolts (#74.3M) presales.
It also seeks to reassure MCU viewers by positioning neatly behind Superman without stealing audiences – many film buffs intend to see both tentpole films this summer.
Story, Style, and Casting
Set in a parallel 1960s‑era universe (Earth‑828), The Fantastic Four: First Steps tracks Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing) as they defend reality from cosmic menance Galactus. Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss‑Bachrach, the movie avoids origin clichés and plays out within an already established superhero family – giving emotional complexity to the MCU’s First Family.
Early consensus is strong – already at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, an average A, CinemaScore audience grade. Critics praise the cast chemistry and its retro-modern look.
Future Prospects: Long-Term Potential
Estimated domestic total is between $277 million and $395 million, if solid traction is maintained through the weekend and on into next week. That would rank First Steps with Marvel’s best late-summer performers on par with Guardians Vol 3 and Quantumania performances.
Overseas openings continue to be modest but consistent. Opening box office figures in India are reading very well: ₹12.5 crore (~$1.5M) over two days, up from ₹5.5 crore to ₹7 crore on the second day.
Other territories such as Latin America and Europe are running even with or slightly ahead of similar MCU releases to balance lower Asian openings.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is overperforming, taking in approximately $57M on its opening day and trending for a healthy $120M–$125M domestic weekend. The movie represents a critical commercial resurgence for Marvel’s First Family and potentially resets audience confidence leading into Doomsday. Though it falls short globally for DC’s Superman, its healthy U.S. pull ranks it among Marvel’s biggest successes of the year—anchoring a defining turn back towards blockbuster form.
