Fantastic Four: First Steps Sets Unwanted MCU Record in Disney+ Debut

By now, it’s no secret Marvel Studios had a rough year at the box office. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underperformed during their respective runs, and for the first time since 2011, no Marvel release ranks in the top 10 worldwide. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was the lone bright spot for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the big screen in 2025, tallying $521.8 million globally (which still wasn’t as high as some might have liked). Given First Steps‘ positive reception, one would have expected the film to be a big hit on Disney+. In an unexpected twist, the opposite seems to have happened.

According to Nielsen data (hat tip Comic Book Movie), The Fantastic Four: First Steps scored just 4.9 million views over its first five days on Disney+. That, unfortunately, is the worst debut for an MCU movie on the streaming platform by Nielsen’s metrics. As a comparison, Brave New World netted 6.4 million views during its first five days, and Thunderbolts* reached 5.5 million.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Disney+ Numbers Explained

It’s never good to break the record for lowest number of views, but things arguably aren’t as dire for First Steps as it might initially seem. For starters, Nielsen tracks only about 42,000 households across the United States, accumulating statistics from hubs that are installed and transmit data to to Nielsen servers (and then estimates totals based on that data). As streaming on devices such as phones, computers, and tablets has become more prevalent, there have increasingly been concerns about the accuracy of Nielsen’s figures since they focus on TV viewing specifically. This was very useful decades ago before the rise of technology, but now, there are so many ways to watch your favorite shows and movies.

Case in point: shortly after The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered on Disney+ in early November, it was the No. 1 movie on the platform globally according to FlixPatrol. This indicates that several Marvel fans made a point to cue First Steps up at home and watch (or retwatch) the superhero team’s long-awaited MCU debut. So while Nielsen illustrates the ways Fantastic Four fell short, there are other metrics out there that show the film was a massive draw on the streaming service, just as Brave New World and Thunderbolts* were before it.

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Disney+ is also just one platform where The Fantastic Four: First Steps is available. The movie can be purchased or rented on digital storefronts like Apple and Amazon, plus it’s now out on Blu-ray. So interested parties have a variety of other ways to watch First Steps — ones that may not be picked up by Nielsen’s tracking. This is all to say that Nielsen’s data, while informative, does not encompass the full breadth of The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ audience. It should not be interpreted as the be all end all of the film’s performance on home media.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway here is that there weren’t many Nielsen households that watched First Steps on a television, which really isn’t a big deal in today’s day and age. Having said that, it still isn’t a great look that the MCU’s highest-grossing film of 2025 lagged behind its contemporaries according to this metric. If one wants, they could read this as a sign of Marvel’s waning dominance over the entertainment industry. But with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday on deck for 2026, the MCU should have a big bounceback next year.

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