After endless speculation, The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally has an official runtime. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has rated the movie 12A—a PG-13 equivalent—and confirmed it will run for 114 minutes and 29 seconds.
This 1 hour, 54 minute runtime puts the MCU reboot in the same ballpark as Doctor Strange, Thor, and Ant-Man. Superman was a little longer at 129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes), but it seems the days of 2-hour blockbusters are officially back.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn't need to be a three-hour epic, and provided the story is told well and the characters are treated with respect, 114 minutes might be the sweet spot for a movie with the potential to be one of the summer's biggest hits.
The BBFC has also revealed some minor spoilers in its rating, including what sounds like a pretty intense moment for Reed Richards (he's "violently stretched," apparently) and a clash between the pregnant Sue Storm and either Galactus or the Silver Surfer.
"A man's body is violently stretched in order to cause pain, although the context is supernatural. During fantastical fight sequences, opponents punch others and fire blasts of energy and beams of fire."
"People are chased and attacked by powerful enemies, including when a pregnant woman is pursued by a villain seeking her unborn child as she goes into labour. A fantastical being threatens to bring about an apocalypse."
"There is use of mild bad language (‘bullshit’), as well as use of milder terms such as ‘Jesus’, 'God' and 'hell'."
"There are occasional references to sex, including when a woman suggests how she became pregnant."
"A man's face has bloody cuts in the aftermath of violence."
"There is very brief comic buttock nudity."
"There are references to the deaths of loved ones; however, such remarks are brief and do not feature strong detail. References are also made to a couple struggling to conceive a child."
In related news, more in-universe magazine covers featuring Marvel's First Family have also been revealed. We'll be on the lookout for Sue Storm's, as that's yet to find its way online.
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.
Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.
Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.