Fantastic Four Just Beat the Best Captain America Movie at the Box Office

Though The Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t as big of a box office hit as Disney and Marvel might have liked, it still put together a decent run in theaters. Recently, First Steps became one of the 50 highest-grossing films in Disney history, and considering the Mouse House’s storied track record at the box office, that’s no small feat. Of course, to reach that spot on the all-time charts, First Steps had to pass some fan-favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, and now it’s topped another one. As the latest figures roll in, Fantastic Four has beaten one of the Infinity Saga’s most acclaimed films.

As of this writing, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has grossed $259.8 million domestically. By the slimmest of margins, that’s enough to surpass Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which grossed $259.7 million in the United States. These numbers are all unadjusted for inflation.

How The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Box Office Compares to Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Premiering in April 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier debuted with $95 million domestically in its first weekend. At the time, that was a new record for the biggest opening in April (a mark that has since been topped by several movies over the past decade). The Fantastic Four: First Steps posted a larger opening weekend, bringing in $117.6 million over its first three days. From there, the two films’ paths to nearly $260 million diverged.

The Winter Soldier held very well, taking advantage of weaker spring competition. In its second weekend, it dropped 56.6%, and it also held on to the top spot on the chart for three straight weekends. In contrast, First Steps suffered a steep 67.1% second weekend decline. The significant drop-off was surprising, as Fantastic Four earned positive reviews. Reception for the film wasn’t as acclaimed as The Winter Soldier (which is still considered one of the MCU’s best offerings), but many still found it to be a heartfelt and entertaining summer blockbuster. By the time Weapons rolled around in early August, First Steps was no longer the No. 1 film.

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Another key difference between these two films is the worldwide gross. The gap is much larger than the domestic box office. The Winter Soldier proved to be a much stronger draw overseas, bringing in $714.4 million globally. First Steps has earned $492.9 million worldwide as of this writing, so it has no chance of catching Captain America by this metric. Like other tentpoles from this year, First Steps‘ performance illustrates how much box office business has changed over the past handful of years. Superman is the only comic book film in 2025 to gross over $600 million worldwide.

The only Captain America movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps trails now is 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, which earned $408 million domestically. Civil War was a major event, as it essentially operates as another Avengers movie, bringing together several characters. First Steps has no chance of catching Civil War since business for it has slowed down so much, but it should be able to climb a few more spots on the all-time charts before it bows out.