THE FANTASTIC FOUR Said To Be An "Important Franchise" For The MCU Despite "Bad Omen" Box Office Reports

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Said To Be An "Important Franchise" For The MCU Despite "Bad Omen" Box Office Reports

Disney's Bob Iger has ignited speculation that Marvel Studios is planning at least one direct sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite a slew of "sky is falling" reports...

By MarkCassidy - Aug 06, 2025 02:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four
Source: Via Variety

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was hit with a 66% drop at the domestic box office during its second weekend in theaters after a strong debut. Even so, the movie has now passed the $200 million mark in North America, and is performing better than Marvel Studios' previous 2025 releases, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.

Granted, this isn't exactly a major accomplishment.

It's impossible to deny that Marvel movies (and superhero films in general) simply aren't the massive box office draws they once were, with $1 billion hits such as Deadpool and Wolverine now the exception rather than the norm. While Marvel/Disney were almost certainly hoping that First Steps would be a bigger hit, is it reasonable to suggest that studio execs are now at panic stations?

Sky is falling-type articles do the rounds after any Marvel movie is perceived to be underperforming, and the latest from The Wrap - "Fantastic Four Box Office Dive Is a Bad Omen for Marvel’s Future" - makes the claim that the MCU’s appeal beyond its most hardcore fans must now be in question.

It's a reasonable enough assessment after the year the studio has had, but it doesn't sound like Marvel is planning to make any significant course corrections any time soon.

During today's earnings call, Disney's Bob Iger said that The Fantastic Four had “successfully launched this important franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” which could indicate that more FF movies are in the early planning stages. Even if they aren't, we know that the main characters will return for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.

“We continue to be focused on creating new IP,” Iger continued. “Obviously, that’s of great value to us long term. But we also know that the popularity of our older IP remains significant, and the opportunities to either produce sequels or convert what was previously animation to live action, like we’re doing with ‘Moana’ in 2026, it’s just a great opportunity for the company and supports our franchise. So I wouldn’t say that we’ve got a priority one way or the other. Our priority is to put out great movies that ultimately resonate with consumers.”

“Of course, we are developing original property under the 20th Century banner and under the Searchlight banner. And look, you could even argue that Marvel continues to mine its library of characters for original property. Even though, for instance, there have been Fantastic Four movies before, we kind of consider the one we did an original property in many respects, because we’re introducing those characters to people who are not familiar with them at all.”

First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.

Ralph Ineson plays Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne and Paul Walter Hauser are also on board in undisclosed roles. John Malkovich's Red Ghost has been cut from the movie.

"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."

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS' Blu-Ray Release Date May Have Been Revealed

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BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 8/6/2025, 2:03 PM
Not shocking...Marvel and Fiege have been blasting us over the head for years about Marvel's "First Family"
Equivocal
Equivocal - 8/6/2025, 11:30 PM
@BlackStar25 -

I for one; LOVED this movie !

after Spiderman, FF, are my second favorite comic book, I was disappointed with the previous versions of the First Family but now I feel rewarded, I cannot wait for future sequels, also
along with Fisrt Steps, I loved Thunderbolts* too !

I don't care about box office results as I got my team done right on the big screen !

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MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 8/6/2025, 2:04 PM
Can't back down now. It's been said they along with the X-men are the future of the brand.
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SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 8/6/2025, 2:43 PM
@MCUKnight11 - Only the usual naysayers on this site are oblivious to how much money Disney is making off of the MCU. Disney wants to push ESPN and Hulu to match Disney+ because Marvel is keeping Disney+ afloat with all of its content despite people here thinking it's a failure.
NonPlayerC
NonPlayerC - 8/6/2025, 3:32 PM
@SonOfAGif - yeah I think they forget how much money they make from Disney plus subscriptions, marvel areas at the parks, all the toys and merchandise. Besides they might not be making that much profit in the grand scheme from the movies this year but other than captain America the other two covered their expenses and made a little profit I think. 1 maybe flop out of 3 isn't bad. And not sure if id say cap was a complete flop either. I consider a flop like dial of destiny where it lost upwards of 150 million. Pretty sure brave new world lost like 30 million. That's a drop in the bucket for the mouse. Not saying I like everything Disney does with marvel but they aren't going anywhere. I like when he says bringing the old animation to live action. makes me hope we are getting a live action version of xmen 97
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 8/7/2025, 5:55 AM
@SonOfAGif - NonPlayerC - pretty sure they were making that money before. Not quite as sure that they're still making as much from those avenues.

You're acting like the movies don't count.

Yes it's not their only avenue but it's what drives interest for those other revenue streams. If the box office on the movies is down there will be a trickle down effect on theme parks, merch and Disney+. In fact there has been.

These movie are not charitable exercises. If they flop then it's bad. It is. No amount of copium is gonna reverse that fact.

Yeah they have cross-promotional deals, but watch those deals dry up when the movies stop making money. Nobody's gonna want to be in bed with a string of failures.

This matters.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 8/6/2025, 2:06 PM
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 8/6/2025, 2:06 PM
This will only be true if the movie is a financial success. The movie should be able to cross the half billion mark when it's all said and done at the box office, but how will the streaming and home video sales be ? What about merchandise ? The movie has very good word of mouth from both critics and audiences, so I think it has a bright future ahead of it, although maybe one with a slightly reduced production and marketing budget.
Nonameforme
Nonameforme - 8/6/2025, 2:08 PM
Marvel needs to back down to one movie a year and no TV shows. They're doing too much and it's hurting the entire scene.
TheShellyMan
TheShellyMan - 8/6/2025, 3:13 PM
@Nonameforme - I still think Marvel should do a 2-year break after Secret Wars.
Nonameforme
Nonameforme - 8/6/2025, 11:30 PM
@TheShellyMan - five years
ThorArms
ThorArms - 8/6/2025, 2:12 PM
Eh, Disney+ and Quantumania did most of the damage. Too many throwaway shows with movies connecting to them. It became too much. And those that were still along for the ride were put off after watching the abomination of Quantumania

Keep the shows separate except for some minor connections like in the Special Presentations, and make sure the quality is good. One movie a year.
JDL
JDL - 8/6/2025, 9:35 PM
@ThorArms - No. I can not agree.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 8/7/2025, 5:58 AM
@ThorArms - Completely separate universes would work. A TV universe and a Cinematic Universe.
LeonNova
LeonNova - 8/6/2025, 2:13 PM
Doomsday and Secret Wars are going to be very important. If they execute them correctly, it’ll be a springboard the following films can benefit from.
GirshwinDavies
GirshwinDavies - 8/6/2025, 2:18 PM
@LeonNova - Lace Winslew?
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 8/7/2025, 5:59 AM
@GirshwinDavies - Present, sir.
GirshwinDavies
GirshwinDavies - 8/7/2025, 8:07 AM
@ObserverIO - LewEllen "Polyps" O'Trussel
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 8/7/2025, 8:11 AM
@GirshwinDavies - LewEllen had to stay home sir. He had a doctor's note.
GirshwinDavies
GirshwinDavies - 8/7/2025, 8:31 AM
@ObserverIO - Flails Mahoit?
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 8/7/2025, 8:45 AM
@GirshwinDavies - running late.
Huskers
Huskers - 8/6/2025, 2:15 PM
They don’t really have anywhere else to go.

They sat on the MCU versions of the X-Men too long. And not many people are excited about RDJ playing Doom, the return of the Fox-Men and a bunch of B and C team Avengers that no one is vested in.

Reed is really the only leader they have of any recognition with the OG Avengers all gone. They need the FF for the near future.
GirshwinDavies
GirshwinDavies - 8/6/2025, 2:17 PM
"Flancing" Seabreeze
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/6/2025, 2:23 PM
I wouldn’t doubt that they are people who perhaps just aren’t as interested in the MCU as they once were but I don’t think it’s as many as some claim it be since the shows and movies still build up considerable interest on streaming (hell ,BNW is still in the top 10 of Disney + nationwide for example)

Also ill continue to say this until I’m blue in the face but I don’t think it’s just superhero or Marvel films that are no longer as big of a draw as they once were but theatrical viewing in general since the B.O has been down to an extent all year thus far which indicates a bigger issue then just one genre imo.

As long as FF (which was a solid film imo) makes it somewhere in the 500 million range as predicted then I think Marvel & Disney should both be happy with that given the B.O performance of their previous iterations.

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RolandD
RolandD - 8/6/2025, 6:16 PM
@TheVisionary25 - There’s a few of us who have been pointing out the general decline in box office revenue and there are so many who comment and either don’t seem to get it or ignore it because it doesn’t fit with their narrative about whatever movie they are dumping on.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/6/2025, 6:54 PM
@RolandD @TheVisionary25 - FWIW, case in point: before my wife and I had kids (and before the pandemic), we were going to the movies almost every weekend (there's a nice AMC 24 theater 5 minutes from us). Then, once we had our first kid (still pre-pandemic) we still went pretty often, having the in-laws watch our kid. Then the pandemic hit and at the same time we had our second kid and we didn't go back to the theater for years (I think that maybe "Despicable Me 4" was the first movie that we saw post-pandemic and I also saw "DP&W" but without the kids, obviously).

So far this year, we've seen "Lilo & Stitch", "FF:FS" and plan to watch "Avatar 3", and that's it. It's not just a money thing (for us it costs ~$50 just for 2 adult and 2 child tickets), but also a convenience thing. The cost to watch one movie ia almost half a year of D+ subscription, and after 3 movies it's considerably more than that. Plus I have a nice movie room in my house with leather recliners and Dolby Atmos surround sound, so the only real incentive to see a movie in the theater is the experience of seeing it in the theater (as seeing it when it comes out instead of waiting for it to hit streaming), which in most cases is not enough incentive.

Not sure if I'm representative of the average movie-goer these days, but I kinda feel like I am. Dunno 😊
RolandD
RolandD - 8/6/2025, 6:57 PM
@StSteven - I’m sure there are a lot of people in similar situations. Maybe they don’t have as nice home theaters you do, but they’re viewing habits have changed along your lines, at least that’s what I believe.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/7/2025, 6:32 PM
@RolandD - Well to be fair, the movie room was one of the main selling points for me when we bought the house 12 years ago (along with the pool because I'm in TX) because I'm a big movie buff and along the way I've added the seating and Atmos system (although installing the speakers in the ceiling took me like 2 weeks and practically killed me in the process (a story for another time)), so at first having it was fun and then became a necessity during the pandemic and now it;'s for family movie night on the weekend (need to upgrade to a projector though one of these days).

Anyhow, I think that the lessening theater attendance these days and thereby the fewer movies the hit a billion is the result of a confluence of factors, including the pandemic, streaming, and the rising cost of ticket prices, with streaming being the obvious main culprit. Recall that at one time during the pandemic most studios were doing day and date movie releases both in theaters and on streaming, and although that has pretty much gone away, I think that a lot of folks are still cool with waiting a bit for a movie to come out on streaming/VOD (at least I am for the most part).

That being said, when you only go to see a handful of movies in the theater a year, when you do it really feels like more of an event vs. something you do every Saturday night. For example, when we went to see "FF:FS" last weekend, even though our local AMC is inside a large shopping center with a Cheesecake Factory, Dave & Buster's, etc. my little kids hadn't actually spent any time walking around the mall itself, so we made a whole afternoon out of it, getting to to mall about an hour before the movie to get our tickets and then walked around the mall checking out the stores, snacking, etc. making it an actual event for us that the kids are going to remember, which is probably what the studios want, just a couple of times a month vs. a couple of times a year.
RolandD
RolandD - 8/7/2025, 7:02 PM
@StSteven - Everything’s bigger in Texas, right? I agree with what you’re saying for sure. The mall that has our AMC is practically a dead mall. I went to see Superman for the second time last night and I have some memories too. For instance, walking by the restaurant where I had a stiff bourbon or two before my (now ex) wife and I saw Saving Private Ryan. The D-Day beach scene was brutal, and it was meant to be because Spielberg didn’t want to glorify war; he wanted to show it for the brutality it is. The bourbon 🥃 helped.😉 the restaurant and all of the things right around the movie theater are empty shells. There’s a few things still like a Guitar Center,, Barnes & Noble and some restaurants. It was always the older mall in town anyway.
RolandD
RolandD - 8/7/2025, 7:06 PM
@StSteven - My trip to China as usual was amazing. The wedding was wonderful and I only cried four times. Once was when we were up at the altar with him and they handed my daughter a microphone, and she thanked us for all the support over the years, including supporting her living in China and being there at her wedding. The last time I lost it was when they turned around and were about to do the processional out of the church and something I’ve never seen before which was seeing a younger version of my mom‘s face in hers. Now that’s some emotional stuff that comic book movies don’t usually have. We got to tour some sites as well and the food as usual was amazing. If you recall, she’s in the Chongqing municipality so spicy food is King but we ate at this one restaurant that a friend of my son-in-law’s recently opened that specializes in. Yunaan cuisine. If you’re not aware, and I wasn’t until we had at the restaurant, that region of the country is I guess subtropical so there’s lots of citrus and pineapple in the food. I like the Szechuan/Chongqing food the best, but this was a pleasant change.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/9/2025, 11:42 PM
@RolandD - Yeah our mall sounds like the compete opposite of your mall. I absolutely HATE going anywhere near there on a general basis, much less on the weekends due to how packed it is, especially with teenagers who don't know how to drive. There's a particular area where the AMC, D&B, B&N, and CF are where there both an upstairs parking lot and a downstairs lot and it's absolute chaos 24/7. My AMC has a bar in it and I used to grab a couple of beers during the movie when it used to be just my wife and I watching the movie, but I don't do that any more if I'm going with my kids. It's just a 5 minute drive back to our house, but it's not worth the risk to my wife and kids. The last time that I had a beer during a movie was when I went to see "DP&W" last year and that was because I had to go by myself because my in-laws were back in China and I wasn't about to take my kids to see that movie (probably the only time I've seen a movie by myself if I recall). The overall shopping area there is nuts and I'm generally white-knuckling it any time I get near there because between the teenager, international folks, and the way it's all set up it's just a recipe for disaster. 😳
RolandD
RolandD - 8/9/2025, 11:56 PM
@StSteven - I neededto buy something today so I went to our regular mall and it was damn busy. I was surprised. Interestingly, there’s no movie theater there. They put one in several years after them all probably over a decade after the mall in a parking lot next-door and it just closed and was bought by FSU’s film school.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/10/2025, 12:05 AM
@RolandD - Oh wow, I was going to ask you how that went. Sounds amazing so I'm jealous. Glad everything went so well. I'm sure I'm going to be a water fountain of tears when my daughters get married (I get a little teary even during the emotional scenes in comedy movies and my kids make fun of me (like it was hard to stay dry during THAT scene in "FF:FS" last week)).

I'd really like to experience your version of a trip to China some time. The difference is that for me, my wife and her parents are from Tianjin which is the 3rd largest city in China, and 30 (exactly) minutes from Beijing by bullet train. So I was there it was all the intense downtown traffic, pollution, crowds, and craziness of being in the middle of a huge city and everything that comes with it. In fact, whenever I needed to buy something (like souvenirs, groceries, etc.) I had to go hide around the corner and let my (soon to be wife at the time) do the negotiating because they didn't like foreigners. Not that it matters, but I think that the only other time I saw another white dude while I was there was at a Starbucks (because of course).

I contrast that to a few months later when we went to Japan so that my wife could present a paper at a conference in Kyoto (and ultimately in Tokyo where I asked her to marry me) and it was much more like what it sounds like your experience was like, i.e., more inviting and friendly where I was able to run around Kyoto and just have fun all day while my wife was at her conference (the conference center was in the mountains of northern Kyoto and I rode the subway that went back and forth between there and downtown everyday just getting on and off wherever I pleased).

Anyhow, I'm glad that your daughter's wedding went so well and it sounds like she's found a really good guy so I hope it all goes well for them. It just goes to show that, like with my wife, even when 2 souls may come from opposite sides of the planet, when it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Take care! 😊
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 8/6/2025, 2:23 PM
the failure of this movie means that it failed.
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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 8/6/2025, 2:26 PM
@harryba11zack - User Comment Image
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 8/6/2025, 2:29 PM
I am begging the executives over at Marvel to go against their instincts and really double down on everything that went right with this movie.
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