A public test screening for The Fantastic Four: First Steps took place in Los Angeles earlier this week, and more details about what to expect have started finding their way online.
It's always best to take feedback like this with a pinch of salt because dozens of people attend these screenings, and only a small handful of them feel the need to share their thoughts with certain outlets/reporters...and they're typically the ones who didn't like what they saw.
The InSneider's Jeff Sneider, for example, previously reported that Sinners had received a "mixed" response at test screenings, suggesting Warner Bros. "should be worried." The movie sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and has made over $340 million worldwide on a $90 million budget.
However, Sneider is only sharing what he's been told and has now offered up feedback from The Fantastic Four: First Steps' test screening.
"My source called it both 'mid' and 'meh,' and 'not that bad, but not that good, either,'" he explains. "More concerningly, they said it featured weak character development and bad CGI, though the latter issue will certainly be addressed over the next month."
"In general, Marvel doesn’t do public test screenings unless they’re worried — that was the case with Eternals, The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Captain America: Brave New World."
"While I initially heard that Marvel was high on First Steps internally," Sneider continues, "a separate industry source who has not seen the finished film himself has sounded the alarm in recent weeks that the film is 'a mess' and 'a huge problem movie.'"
"That said, it sounds like Ralph Ineson’s Galactus went over well with the crowd last night, which is encouraging, seeing as how Marvel has had a villain problem of late," he concludes.
That sounds far from promising, and Marvel Studios has only a couple of months to fix The Fantastic Four: First Steps. From what we've heard, the movie was scoring 6-7/10, while the cut shown had very rough VFX (as in, barely 25% finished, which is bound to hurt someone's enjoyment).
There's also a far more positive outlook being shared. Trusted test screening insider @ViewerAnon says, "[The] general reaction I'm hearing is 'Okay,' but it's not a big sample size. A couple people have said the first act's shaky but it gets better once Galactus shows up. Worth noting I've heard the film is very unfinished, much more than you'd expect from something coming out in two months."
Adding that it sounds "cute, fun and geeky," the leaker pointed out that The Fantastic Four: First Steps' "reactions are more consistently 'okay' whereas the Superman reactions swing wildly between love/like/didn’t like/hate."
We'll see what happens, but Marvel Studios needs a win. If this reboot disappoints, it's going to cut plans for Marvel's First Family off at the knees, likely relegating them to supporting character status in future Avengers movies.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.