'Fantastic Four: First Steps' soars with $24.4M in previews, outpaces 'Superman' for 2025's biggest debut yet
Marvel Studios has made a powerful return to form with Fantastic Four: First Steps, delivering a commanding $24.4 million in Thursday previews. The figure represents the highest preview earnings of 2025 to date, edging past Superman, which previously held the top spot with $22.5 million earlier in July.
Fantastic Four: First Steps rockets to $24.4M in previews, eclipsing Superman’s lead and reigniting Marvel’s global box office momentum in 2025.
Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Industry analysts now project a domestic opening weekend in the $100 million to $110 million range for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installment. Internationally, the film is anticipated to draw an additional $90 million to $100 million, placing the global launch between $190 million and $210 million. The film's strong start puts it in direct competition with Superman, which launched with $125 million domestically and $220 million globally.
Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, First Steps officially introduces the Fantastic Four into the MCU canon after several prior attempts under 20th Century Fox. Its retro-futuristic visual style, a departure from Marvel’s usual aesthetic, has resonated well with both audiences and critics. The film currently holds an impressive 89% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, signaling robust early word-of-mouth potential.
Unlike earlier MCU entries this year, such as Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, both of which stumbled in their opening weekends, First Steps is showing clear signs of reversing the so-called "superhero fatigue." The former earned $12 million in previews and opened to $88.5 million, while Thunderbolts started with $11.5 million in previews and ended with a $76 million debut. Neither film recouped its production and marketing budgets, which hovered around $180 million each.
With a production budget exceeding $200 million and a marketing spend north of $100 million, Fantastic Four: First Steps faces high financial expectations. Studios typically retain just 50% of ticket sale revenues, further raising the stakes for Marvel. However, positive early reception and strong franchise recognition appear to be fueling enthusiasm.
The film pits Marvel’s first family against the cosmic menace Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson) and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), establishing new narrative ground for the franchise. The choice to lean into stylized visuals and character-driven storytelling marks a strategic shift for Marvel, which has publicly committed to focusing on fewer but higher-quality theatrical releases and streaming content.
Disney, Marvel’s parent company, also had cause for celebration this weekend. The entertainment giant confirmed it will surpass $3 billion in global box office receipts by Friday, making it the first Hollywood studio to hit that benchmark in 2025. This milestone reinforces Disney’s position as a dominant force in global cinema and offers renewed confidence in its theatrical slate moving forward.
