As The Fantastic Four: First Steps continues its box office run, it’s now passed an underrated title from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s earliest days. Currently, First Steps has earned $371.9 million worldwide. That edges out the $370.5 million Captain America: The First Avenger made during its time in theaters back in 2011. It’s only a matter of time before Fantastic Four beats out some other notable MCU installments. The reboot is on the heels of Black Widow ($379.7 million) and this summer’s Thunderbolts* ($382.4 million). First Steps is also approaching the total of Captain America: Brave New World ($415.1 million), which would make it the year’s highest-grossing MCU installment.
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It is important to keep in mind that all of these figures are unadjusted for inflation. The First Avenger‘s lifetime global gross would come out to about $531.3 million in 2025. Fantastic Four still has some work to do to get to that number, and it’ll be interesting to see if it does. After exceeding box office expectations with a $216 million worldwide debut, First Steps was subject to a steep drop in its second weekend. It saw a 67% decrease domestically.
Once a box office powerhouse, the MCU had a rough 2025 prior to the release of First Steps. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* rank among the franchise’s lowest-grossing entries, which put extra pressure on Fantastic Four to perform well. This year also marks one of the few times DC has beaten Marvel at the summer box office; James Gunn’s Superman had stronger legs than Fantastic Four, putting it on pace to become 2025’s highest-grossing comic book adaptation.
While Marvel’s had ups and downs at the box office this year, their films are still finding success at home. Both Brave New World and Thunderbolts* became hits in living rooms. The former was the No. 1 film on Disney+ after it became available on the streaming service earlier this year. The latter topped PVOD charts when it hit various digital platforms. A Disney+ release date for Thunderbolts* has not yet been announced. These movies performing well through home media suggests people haven’t lost interest in the MCU; they’ve just changed how they consume it.
Of course, Disney would prefer if Marvel movies were hits in theaters and at home, especially considering what they cost to make (First Steps had a budget reportedly “north of $200 million). It’s encouraging that Fantastic Four had such a strong debut, but the second weekend drop-off was a little alarming. The film received positive reviews and had good word of mouth, though that didn’t help it maintain legs at the box office. How well a film holds is the real test for its box office prowess. Fantastic Four is a reflection of how things have changed at the box office. In a post-pandemic landscape, people have become accustomed to shorter theatrical windows, making it easier to wait for films at home. There will always be die-hard fans driving ticket sales in opening weekends, but the casual moviegoers who helped fuel many Infinity Saga titles to over $1 billion aren’t in a rush to see every Marvel film on the big screen anymore.
In a different era, The Fantastic Four: First Steps would have had strong legs — even releasing on the heels of other high-profile titles like Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman. While it isn’t in danger of bombing, Marvel likely needs to reconsider how it conducts business moving forward. This is why there are reports of the studio targeting young, unknown talent for the X-Men reboot and suggestions that only top tier premier characters (like Spider-Man) will headline films moving forward. Marvel is in a position where they need to figure out ways to keep production costs in check to maximize box office profits.
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