The Fantastic Four: First Steps has now passed what will be its final box office milestone. The Marvel Studios reboot has taken in just over $505 million worldwide on a reported production budget of $200 million (some reckon it was closer to $225M).
This means that First Steps should just about turn a profit, and has performed significantly better than both of Marvel's other 2025 releases, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. Even so, it's difficult to imagine the studio being overjoyed with this result, as analysts believe Kevin Feige and his execs were hoping for a Deadpool and Wolverine-size smash hit (or close enough) with this one.
Still, Marvel/Disney are said to be pleased enough with the movie's BO performance to greenlight a sequel, as rumors point to early talks with director Matt Shakman to take the helm of a second FF film. Apparently, the belief is that the team's involvement in Avengers: Doomsday will allow audiences to become more familiar with the characters.
In other box office news, DC Studios and director James Gunn's Superman now sits at just over $610 million worldwide.
First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.
Ralph Ineson plays Galactus, with Natasha Lyonne as a new character named Rachel Rozman, and Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man. John Malkovich's Red Ghost was cut from the movie.
"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."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.