THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Beaten By SUPERMAN In U.S. Opening But Flies Past The Man Of Steel Overseas

Updated box office numbers are in for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and while Marvel's First Family was beaten by Superman in North America, the team reigned supreme overseas. Read on for details...

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By JoshWilding - Jul 28, 2025 02:07 PM EST

Filed Under: Fantastic Four

Weekend actuals are in for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it opened to a solid $117.6 million at the North American box office. That's slightly lower than yesterday's estimates, but higher than the initial $100 million - $110 million predictions.

$117.6 million means it places behind only Superman ($125 million), Lilo & Stitch ($146 million) and A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million) in 2025.

The days of superhero movies consistently dominating multiplexes may be over, but this is a solid result for Marvel Studios and proves the studio still has "it" after Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underperformed.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has also topped Spider-Man: Homecoming's $117 million opening in 2017; that was another failed franchise before Marvel Studios rebooted it, so this opening weekend bodes well for the MCU's First Family moving forward.

To break it down for you, the movie made $24.4 million from Thursday previews, $57.3 million on Friday (including preview screenings), $33.3 million on Saturday, and $27.1 million on Sunday.

Overseas, The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened to $99.1 million in 53 markets, a stronger start than Superman's $95 million haul. The Man of Steel did have the team soundly beaten in the U.S., where it debuted to $125 million earlier this month.

As always, the second weekend will be key for the movie, and we'll have to wait and see where it goes from here. Like Superman, it's probably taking aim at a modest $500+ million total, and that might just be the new norm for the genre.

$1 billion blockbusters are rare now, with only exceptional movies reaching that benchmark. Nine movies grossed over $1 billion in 2019 (one of them made over $2.7 billion: Avengers: Endgame). However, in 2025, only two movies have reached that figure: Lilo & Stitch and the Chinese mega hit, Ne Zha II.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is probably the only movie left in 2025 that stands a chance of hitting $1 billion worldwide, though Jurassic World Rebirth is still holding up well.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

In our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we concluded, "The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.

When Will THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Be Released On Digital And Disney+? Everything You Need To Know

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS: 10 Easter Eggs, References, And Cameos You Need To See - SPOILERS

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104 Comments

1 2 3

Malatrova15 - 7/28/2025, 2:36 PM

I mean...somehow FF Is being received Better in Israel than Superman.

Canyoublush - 7/28/2025, 2:54 PM

@Malatrova15 - are you surprised? Lol

bobevanz - 7/28/2025, 5:02 PM

Since the article is missing this:
Fantastic Four opening weekend box office: 218 million (60% drop incoming?)

Superman opening weekend box office: 222 Million.

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:17 PM

@Malatrova15 - considering the numbers for Israel's bock office haul arent anywhere online, you seemed to have pulled this out of your vagina sir. Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post didn't even review FF lol

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:18 PM

@bobevanz - Superman will end up with better legs over seas than FF too when all is said and done. FF has little to no rewatch value. It's a 1 and done type of film.

Malatrova15 - 7/28/2025, 6:20 PM

@McMurdo - either Way Israel Is kinda of amazing to be sincere

PopBye - 7/28/2025, 2:38 PM

Happy for both movies.

RolandD - 7/28/2025, 6:08 PM

@PopBye - It seems like more and more users are making comments like this, realizing that if both movies are good, and both movies succeed, we all win. I don’t suggest that anyone needs to be positive all the time. It’s hard to say anything positive about the Sony CBM‘s except for the spider verse, but for me, this is a win-win although I still need to see First Steps. From everything I’ve seen and heard, I think I’m going to like it.

Gambito - 7/28/2025, 2:38 PM

I liked Superman better mainly because of Luthor, Galactus was awesome but I didn’t like how they defeat him

PopBye - 7/28/2025, 2:43 PM

@Gambito -

I personally liked F4 more, and found it to be a better movie. But I did enjoy superman. I'd call this a win for both movies imo.

Canyoublush - 7/28/2025, 2:55 PM

@Gambito - I’m disappointed by Gunn’s superman. I preferred F4 I’m happy that we finally got a great F4 movie. It only took Hollywood twenty bloody years!

ImNotaBot - 7/28/2025, 3:40 PM

@Gambito - Yeah Galactus presence was very menacing, really like his characterization but for a guy that has cosmic powers and eats planets being bushed into a hole was a lame way to get defeated.

dragon316 - 7/28/2025, 4:48 PM

@ImNotaBot - one of reasons will not see it beat easily stupid way

ImNotaBot - 7/28/2025, 5:57 PM

@dragon316 - but the movie sets him up as a huge threat and we see his comic powers. Its a shame that in the final act they just throw it all away and Galactus turns into Giant Man.

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:23 PM

@Gambito - his motivation had none of his signature cosmic equilibrium in regards to eternity and entropy either. He simply just wanted Franklin because he was bored of being Galactus lol

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:23 PM

@Canyoublush - im disappointed by FF mostly because of the one dimensional characters, and the only character in the film with any real arc being a secondary character in the surfer. You could tell the film had 4 writers. Reed was an idiot in the movie. You need smart writers to write a smart character, clearly.

ObserverIO - 7/28/2025, 6:30 PM

@Gambito - Sure in what kind of movie would they defeat the villain by pushing him into a dimensional portal?

...

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:46 PM

@ObserverIO - after which failed plan? The one where they teleport earth killing everyone in the blink of an eye like a car crashing into a wall at supersonic speeds or after the failed baby swap plan in times square?

ObserverIO - 7/28/2025, 6:59 PM

@McMurdo - At least they had a plan. Superman's plan was basically A1 A1 A1 until he could A1 him into somebody else's convenient portal.

ObserverIO - 7/28/2025, 7:00 PM

*1A

Apophis71 - 7/28/2025, 7:01 PM

@ImNotaBot - I mean for most of his comic history he was impossible to destroy so almost no good ways to 'defeat him', one story they simply sent him to sleep which would onscreen be worse :D Most likely was always likely some gizmo to divert or transport him away and the effort to do so resulting in one of the team dying means they didn't exactly make it an easy task, lol

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 7:02 PM

@ObserverIO - well I mean let's be kind to Superman here. He certainly wouldnt attempt to teleport the planet for sure. Hes a pretty anti genocide character lol

Canyoublush - 7/28/2025, 7:17 PM

@ObserverIO - Yeah superman’s plan was basically getting his ass handed to him for the entire film and let the justice gang do all of the heavy lifting. “1A, 1A, 1A!” Is far more cringe worthy than “Martha.” Yeah I mean that lol. The third act of superman just fell apart. It got too silly. Lex being mauled by Krypto undercut superman’s heartfelt speech. Technically Lex should be dead. I know he got away with a broken arm but Krypto’s density alone should have been enough to flatten or crush him when he pounced at him. Krypto floored the engineer, superman & Ultraman but Lex was still standing after getting pounced on by an alien dog. It just got ridiculously silly. David Connerswet mentioned in an interview that he argued with Gunn over the tone of that scene. 🤦🏿‍♂️

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 7:29 PM

@Canyoublush - you must have hated Reed almost being stretched to death by Galactus over what...30 feet? Quite the far cry from when he survived a nuclear blast in issue #43 or when he stretched for miles without bodily harm in issue #547. Who had to come rescue him before being split in two? Was it Ben or Johnny?

Irregular - 7/28/2025, 2:45 PM

This is a good win for F4. Very happy for the movie. Can't wait to see it this weekend.

lazlodaytona - 7/28/2025, 2:50 PM

Why they always gotta phrase in a way that they're competing with each other.
Be happy they're BOTH doing well.

RolandD - 7/28/2025, 5:25 PM

@lazlodaytona - Absolutely! When they are both good, we get to feast. Hopefully when that happens, they also do well financially so that we keep on getting the movies. I know I’m preaching to the choir here.

lazlodaytona - 7/28/2025, 5:55 PM

@RolandD - it's a good sermon sir

mastakilla39 - 7/28/2025, 2:54 PM

F4 and Thunderbolts are better movies, but Superman is more rewatchable. Superman is very fast pace, fun, and action driven while F4 & Thunderbolts are much slower, character focused, and story driven. IMO it was a good year for CBMs, even though Cap 4 was disappointing it wasn't terrible.

Canyoublush - 7/28/2025, 2:57 PM

@mastakilla39 - F4 & Thunderbolts hit that sweet spot for me whilst Superman & Brave new world were totally mid imo.

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:40 PM

@mastakilla39 - FF isn't even the best MCU film this year. Thunderbolts at least had some 3 dimensional character work with Pugh and Sentry. That's completely absent in FF for the 4 main protagonists.

Superman also at the very least has characters who experience character development. Superman with the nature vs nurture theme, heritage vs adoption, and Lois the skeptic becoming the believer. At least the leads in Superman had character arcs.

I mean the entirety of Sue as a character in this film revolves solely around Franklin. Shes relegated to the devoted mother. That's it. And what's Johnny's arc? He learns alien languages overnight and studies space linguistics?

What are Reed and Sue's character arcs/journeys in the film? How do they change from beginning to end. They become parents but what changes for them as individuals within that? You could remove Ben Grimm from the movie and nothing changes. Shoulda been so much better than it is. You had GALACTUS and he's barely in the movie. Where's the cosmic horror?! They turned it into a boring Godzilla stomps into NYC ending to for a 2nd failed plan by Reed via some stupid baby swap in Times Square???? You just watched this giant alien scan your wife's belly dude. Throwing metaphorical dirt in his eye wasnt gonna change that lol.

RipleysCurls - 7/28/2025, 7:11 PM

@Canyoublush - putting Superman in the same category as Captain 4 is crazzzzy talk my dude. Although comparing thunderbolts with Fantsstic Four i do get

Canyoublush - 7/28/2025, 7:38 PM

@RipleysCurls - Nah it’s like this. The reason why most people love this new Superman is because you lot hate MOS & the synderverse. It’s a reoccurring pattern I’ve noticed with everyone who praises this film. Now I don’t hate the film I enjoyed it, there’s fun to be had. Love this version of Jor-el in fact that’s one of my main takeaways from this. Performances are solid particularly from Rachel and Edi. David is good, I thought he did well with what he was given and Hoult is ridiculously entertaining as Lex. There’s a few neat moments here and there that elevate the film but damn, everything else is mediocre.

The editing, structure and pacing is really off for me. The VFX and special effects are underwhelming even for a superman film. The action is ok but nothing that we haven’t see before in a superhero movie. There’s no outstanding sequences. Superman is emasculated. He’s too weak in this film. Almost every fight scene or sequence sees hmm lying on his back. Gunn made the mistake of humanising him too much. He doesn’t even get to showcase his abilities in new or innovative ways.

The justice gang is the biggest problem. They do most of the heavy lifting. Remember the trailers? That kid in the desert was praying for superman to come save him and guess who shows up instead? Guy gardener. What a cop out. If this film is called Superman then it should be about Superman saving everyone. Instead we get guardians of metropolis. Why is superman relegated to crowd control, letting the JG take out the Kaiju monster? Superman needed saving more than anyone else in this film.

The third act is where it falls apart. “1A, 1A, 1A!” Wtf is this shit? Miss tesmachuaer romancing with Jimmy feels like a subplot for gossip girl or something. Too much sillniess and goofiness. Zero stakes, no sense of dread I could go on etc but hey if this is what you wanted; a superman who saves squirrels and spends the entire movie on his back like a battery charging at 50% then fair play. I’m happy for you if you really liked this film but for me it’s a let down. It’s mid. It’s not even better than the guardians movies. It’s better than the flash, green lantern and black Adam but that’s not saying much is it. Nah i can’t take this movie seriously. Too vanilla. To
sum it up, it’s literally made for toddlers, little children. 😆😆🤣😆

RockReigns - 7/28/2025, 2:56 PM

Where are you @sprocks?! 😂😂😂

RockReigns - 7/28/2025, 2:56 PM

This isn’t going to do $500M by end of its run. The Frontloaded Four.

YouIknowiamsexy - 7/28/2025, 3:57 PM

@RockReigns - The second weekend fall off will be the thing of legends!

Rpendo - 7/28/2025, 4:59 PM

@RockReigns - I don’t know… August doesn’t really provide much in the way of competition. Could go either way.

ObserverIO - 7/28/2025, 6:32 PM

@RockReigns - It's gonna do about the same as Superman.

But with better reviews.

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:41 PM

@RockReigns - that Saturday drop off tells you everything you need to know.

McMurdo - 7/28/2025, 6:42 PM

@ObserverIO - it won't. It's gonna have a larger than 50 % drop off this upcoming weekend. That Saturday Sunday drop is telling.

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Beaten By SUPERMAN In U.S. Opening But Flies Past The Man Of Steel Overseas

Updated box office numbers are in for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and while Marvel's First Family was beaten by Superman in North America, the team reigned supreme overseas. Read on for details...

When Will THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Be Released On Digital And Disney+? Everything You Need To Know

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS: 10 Easter Eggs, References, And Cameos You Need To See - SPOILERS

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.