LOS ANGELES – Marvel’s iconic team has struck box office success. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the initial film about these superheroes created under Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co., amassed $118 million from 4,125 theaters across North America in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
This opening makes it the fourth largest of the year, trailing only “A Minecraft Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch,” and “Superman.” It’s also the biggest Marvel premiere since “Deadpool & Wolverine” launched with $211 million last summer. On the global stage, “Fantastic Four” garnered $100 million from 52 markets, culminating in a $218 million worldwide opening. These figures aligned with studio forecasts.
The release follows another major superhero reboot, James Gunn’s “Superman,” which debuted three weekends ago and has already exceeded $500 million in global earnings. This DC Studios film secured second place with a $24.9 million domestic haul.
“First Steps” is the latest attempt at bringing the superhuman family to the big screen, following lackluster performances for other versions. The film, based on the original Marvel comics, is set during the 1960s in a retro-futuristic world led by the Fantastic Four, a family of astronauts-turned-superhuman from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission.
The family is made up of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), who can stretch his body to incredible lengths; Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who can render herself invisible; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), who transforms into a fiery human torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who possesses tremendous superhuman strength with his stone-like flesh.
The movie takes place four years after the family gained powers, during which Reed’s inventions have transformed technology, and Sue’s diplomacy has led to global peace.
Both audiences and critics responded positively to the film, which currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and promising exit poll responses from opening weekend ticket buyers. An estimated 46% of audiences chose to see it on premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats.
The once towering Marvel is working to rebuild audience enthusiasm for its films and characters. Its two previous offerings this year did not reach the cosmic box office heights of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which made over $1.3 billion, or those of the “Avengers”-era. But critically, the films have been on an upswing since the poorly reviewed “Captain America: Brave New World,” which ultimately grossed $415 million worldwide. “Thunderbolts,” which jumpstarted the summer movie season, was better received critically but financially is capping out at just over $382 million globally.
Like Deadpool and Wolverine, the Fantastic Four characters had been under the banner of 20th Century Fox for years. The studio produced two critically loathed, but decently profitable attempts in the mid-2000s with future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. In 2015, it tried again (unsuccessfully) with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. They got another chance after Disney’s $71 billion acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets in 2019.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $118 million.
2. “Superman,” $24.9 million.
3. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $13 million.
4. “F1: The Movie,” $6.2 million.
5. “Smurfs,” $5.4 million.
6. “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $5.1 million.
7. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $2.8 million.
8. “Eddington,” $1.7 million.
9. “Saiyaara,” $1.3 million.
10. “Oh, Hi!,” $1.1 million.
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