It's still very early days, but after an estimated $56 million haul on Friday, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is currently eyeing a $125 million opening weekend in North America.
Disney was seemingly low-balling with talk of a $100 million to $110 million start, a smart move, as all pundits will now discuss this weekend is how the latest Marvel Studios movie is overperforming. Regardless, this is a simply fantastic result for filmmaker Matt Shakman's reboot.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps already exceeded expectations on Thursday with $24.4 million from previews, and there's good news for Marvel's First Family overseas, as well.
According to Deadline, the movie made an estimated $27 million from Wednesday to Thursday in just a handful of markets. Up to that point, it's running 57% ahead of Captain America: Brave New World and 32% over Superman in like-for-like markets.
It's too soon to say how much The Fantastic Four: First Steps will make when all is said and done, but it's way ahead of recent box office disappointments like Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.
During a recent Associated Press interview, Mister Fantastic actor Pedro Pascal dialled back expectations about Reed Richards leading The Avengers in Doomsday after comments from Shakman about Reed Richards were taken out of context.
"It’s big news to me, that’s for one," The Mandalorian star shared. "I think Matt Shakman was doing an interview and when he was speaking about Reed...there is something that happens in the comics where he is sort of drawn in by the Avengers family and asked to be put into a leadership position. That is something that happens in the comics. It isn’t necessarily something that my character’s future entails.'"
Pascal then stressed, "I am being honest in that. I am not even trying to avoid spoilers. It’s a little bit of a mislead."
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 movie, 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.