After getting off to a strong start at the box office, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has had an uneven theatrical run. Suffering a steep 67.1% decline domestically in its second weekend, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest entry exists in a strange box office middle ground. It isn’t the massive smash hit Disney and Marvel Studios wanted when they greenlit a production budget that was “north of $200 million,” but it isn’t a flop either. In fact, First Steps has crossed some significant box office milestones during its time at the multiplex, and now it’s notched another achievement.
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As of this writing, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ worldwide total stands at $469.4 million worldwide. It’s now cracked the top 300 of all time, and in doing so, it’s passed the global gross of one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. It’s now topped The Matrix, which earned $467.8 million back in 1999. That figure is unadjusted for inflation.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Box Office Performance Explained
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrived at a time when Marvel Studios found itself at a bit of a crossroads. The MCU’s two other 2025 feature films, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underwhelmed at the box office. Both finished their respective runs ranking among the franchise’s lowest-grossing titles. After Thunderbolts* earned just $382.4 million worldwide, reports suggested Marvel could rethink their movie strategy moving forward by prioritizing projects about premier characters like Spider-Man and the Avengers.
Arriving at the tail end of a month that also saw major studio tentpoles Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps exceeded expectations with a $117.6 million domestic opening. It’s Marvel’s highest-grossing film of the year, but the aforementioned second weekend drop put it well behind Superman, and it’s never been able to catch the DC Universe feature. Superman is approaching $600 million worldwide, a figure First Steps is unlikely to reach given how much business has slowed down.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps illustrates how much box office business has changed over the past handful of years. In this post-pandemic era, viewers are used to shortened theatrical windows, meaning there’s less of a need to rush out and see new releases in theaters. This is the new normal; Brave New World and Thunderbolts* achieved success on home media platforms such as Disney+ and PVOD. The days of any Marvel movie being a threat to hit $1 billion are likely over. This is why the studio is looking to scale back on production costs by doing things like casting relative unknowns for the X-Men reboot.
Disney and Marvel probably would have liked for The Fantastic Four: First Steps to earn more money, but the film should still be considered a success. It’s far and away the highest-grossing Fantastic Four film to date (not a high bar to clear, admittedly) and it also earned positive reviews. Since it’s the only Fantastic Four film to be Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, people should continue to seek it out. First Steps will likely be a major draw on home media later this year, and in the meantime, it’s bound to climb up a few more spots on the box office charts.
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