Ahead of its world premiere on Monday night, Marvel Studios has lifted the social media embargo for The Fantastic Four: First Steps a little early and it sounds like the early word is exceedingly positive as early viewers are hailing it as a visually stunning spectacle and one of Marvel's best films, with Vanessa Kirby stealing the show as Sue Storm.
While some viewers have taken issue with the film’s story — describing it as either simplistic or nonsensical — it seems director Matt Shakman has successfully nailed the characters, with Marvel’s First Family receiving high praise all across the board. Early word also suggests that both Galactus and the Silver Surfer are poised to become instant fan favorites.
With just under a week to go, early box office tracking projects an opening in the $100 million to $110 million range — a strong start, well ahead of Thunderbolts* ($74.3M) and Captain America: Brave New World ($88.8M), though just shy of Superman ($125M).
Marvel Studios is counting on big things from their final release of the year, and signs point to a stellar international run. Meanwhile, buzz is already building as fans gear up for a likely first look at Avengers: Doomsday in the film’s post-credits scene.
The red carpet world premiere will be held on Monday night, and if a live stream is provided, you can check back into CBM to watch along with your fellow users. Excelsior!
The cast features Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us; The Mandalorian), Vanessa Kirby (The Crown; Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear; The Punisher), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things; Catherine the Great), Ralph Ineson (The Witch; The Green Knight), Julia Garner (Ozark; Inventing Anna), Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll; Poker Face), Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell; Black Bird), Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso; I May Destroy You), and Mark Gatiss (Sherlock; Doctor Who).
Matt Shakman (WandaVision; Game of Thrones) helmed the feature, with a screenplay from Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25!
Check out the first batch of social media reactions below:
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), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) 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.