While July is likely to be a great month for theaters, three huge movies will be competing with each other for people's attention.
Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth kick things off on July 2 but won't have long before Warner Bros. and DC Studios' Superman swoops into the frame. That will either be trampled on by the latest Jurassic movie - the last three movies grossed a combined total of roughly $4 billion - or cut those dinosaurs down like a rampaging kaiju in Metropolis.
However, just as Superman gets going (and it's vital for the DCU's future that it succeeds), Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps touches down on July 25. The competition will be intense and it's simply too soon to say which movie will come out on top.
Something that bodes well for The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fact the teaser trailer racked up 202 million viewers across all platforms during its first 24 hours online. It's one of the best trailer debuts ever for Marvel Studios and isn't too far behind Deadpool & Wolverine.
As The Hollywood Reporter explains. "The trailer launch in Alabama drew the most views ever for a Marvel YouTube live-stream, in addition to becoming the No. 1 trending video on YouTube."
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer launch was also a top tender on X, formerly known as Twitter," the trade continues. "All told, social volume hit almost 500,000, higher than any Marvel trailer outside of Deadpool 3, which debuted during last year’s Super Bowl game."
Deadline, meanwhile, correctly points out that this is "the best Marvel Studios has ever seen in traffic for a non-sequel movie."
For comparison, Superman's teaser drew 250 million people in the same amount of time. It's worth pointing out that the Man of Steel is arguably the world's most iconic superhero; Marvel's First Family, on the other hand, have starred in three bad movies and are still pretty obscure compared to the likes of The Avengers and X-Men.
If nothing else, this suggests there's plenty of interest in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and that it won't be an easy pushover for Superman when the two movies clash during the latter's third week in theaters.
You can rewatch The Fantastic Four: First Steps' trailer below.
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, and Natasha Lyonne have been cast in mystery roles.
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.