Much to the chagrin of Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is shaping up to be a moderate hit at the worldwide box office (current projections point to it ending its run with around $520 million).
Labor Day gave the latest Marvel Studios movie a boost in the U.S., with a $1.6 million haul for its sixth Monday in theaters. That may not sound like much, but it's a massive 187% increase from the previous Monday, even though The Fantastic Four: First Steps lost 405 theaters last Friday.
This brings the reboot's current domestic haul to $266.4 million, with a revised estimated final run of $275 million. If this is the new norm for non-event MCU movies, then at least The Fantastic Four: First Steps has easily shot past Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.
Marvel's First Family will return in Avengers: Doomsday, something that was teased in the movie's closing moments when Doctor Doom was shown visiting the young Franklin Richards in a post-credits scene.
"The Russos did end up directing that [Thunderbolts*] post-credits scene, and they also did the one for this movie as well," filmmaker Matt Shakman said of the stinger earlier this summer. "Just because they were done during the production of Avengers: Doomsday. You've got all those actors there, you've got those sets there, it just makes sense."
"That's one of the things that other movies have done — they've often used Doctor Doom," he said of the villain's surprise debut. "Doctor Doom is an amazing character, and he's coming, as we all know. For us, it felt like, let's start where you can focus on these four amazing characters — Galactus is awesome too, but he's a giant cosmic threat, he's unknowable — and save Doom for a little later."
Did you catch another screening of The Fantatsic Four: First Steps this long holiday weekend?
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.
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.
Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.
The movie is now playing in theaters.