Move over, ‘Superman’: Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ explodes into theaters with $118 million, revitalizing the franchise

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Update July 27, 2025: Disney’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps dominated the domestic box office this weekend, debuting at No. 1 with a strong $118 million opening. While the reboot fell slightly short of its $130 million target, it marked a significant comeback for the franchise and delivered the best opening weekend for a Marvel film this year, outperforming February’s Captain America: Brave New World ($88.5 million) and May’s Thunderbolts ($74.3 million).

Trailing behind in the number two spot was Warner Bros.’ Superman, which added $24.9 million to its domestic total, reaching $289.5 million since its July 11 debut. The revamped DC entry continues to perform steadily, underlining the robust demand for superhero films.

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Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth held the No. 3 position with $13 million in its fourth weekend, pushing its domestic haul to an impressive $301.5 million. Rounding out the top five were F1: The Movie with $6.2 million and Smurfs with $5.4 million, as audiences embraced a variety of big-screen entertainment.

Original story published July 25, 2025: The Man of Steel has met his match.

Marvel Studios’ long-awaited reboot of the Fantastic Four has arrived with a bang, projected to earn up to $135 million domestically in its opening box-office weekend and knocking out James Gunn's blockbuster Superman reboot from the top slot. Directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the first time that Marvel’s First Family has been fully integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019.

The revamped take on Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm is already receiving acclaim, boasting an 89 percent certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the franchise’s best to date. This success is no small feat, as previous iterations of the Fantastic Four never caught fire with fans or critics. The 2005 and 2007 Fox films were financially adequate but critically derided, and the 2015 reboot was widely panned, grossing only $167 million worldwide.

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With a $200 million-plus production budget, First Steps represents not just a chance to redeem the property, but an essential victory for Marvel at a time when recent releases — including Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World — have struggled to meet expectations.

In comparison to other superhero tentpoles this year, First Steps has outshone Marvel’s prior installments and is drawing near Warner Bros.' Superman, which debuted at $125 million domestically and $217 million globally. However, the MCU reboot falls short of last year’s R-rated juggernaut, Deadpool & Wolverine, which exploded out of the gate with $211 million domestically during its opening weekend.

Marvel pulled out all the stops for First Steps, hosting flashy launches in Berlin, Paris, London, and Sydney — topping it all off with a star-studded Hollywood premiere featuring a drone show and live orchestra conducted by Michael Giacchino. With favorable critical reception and a lack of immediate blockbuster competition, The Fantastic Four: First Steps may just be the box-office win that restores Marvel Studios’ commercial momentum.

More muted releases this weekend include Sony's rom-com Oh, Hi! and Lionsgate's horror flick The Home, both of which are expected to debut outside the top five. Instead, holdovers from previous weeks are projected to dominate the box office. Superman is on track to earn up to $30 million in its third week, followed by Universal's Jurassic World Rebirth with up to $15 million. Warner Bros./Apple Studios' F1: The Movie is anticipated to bring in around $6 million, while Sony's I Know What You Did Last Summer and Paramount's Smurfs are competing for fifth place, each projected to gross just over $5 million.

NEW RELEASES

The Fantastic Four: First StepsDirector: Matt ShakmanDistributor: Walt Disney StudiosForced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. The Marvel adventure has a running time of one hour, 55 minutes, and is rated PG-13. The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis certified "fresh" with an 89 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "generally favorable" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 64 percent.

Oh, Hi!Director: Sophie BrooksDistributor: Sony Pictures ClassicsIris and Isaac's first romantic weekend getaway goes awry in a most unexpected way. The romantic comedy, starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, has a running time of one hour, 35 minutes, and is rated R. Oh, Hi!is certified "fresh" with a 62 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "generally favorable" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 63 percent.

The HomeDirector: James DeMonacoDistributor: LionsgateAfter starting work at a retirement home, Max soon realizes that the residents and caretakers are hiding sinister secrets. The horror flick, starring Pete Davidson, John Glover, Bruce Altman, and Ethan Phillips, has a running time of one hour, 37 minutes, and is rated R. The Homeis certified "rotten" with a 29 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "mixed or average" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 46 percent.

Here are Gold Derby's predicted box-office rankings for the top five:

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1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps2.Superman3. Jurassic World Rebirth4. F1: The Movie5. I Know What You Did Last Summer

Do you agree or disagree with those rankings?Make your predictions right now— it's fun and easy!

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