Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened to a fantastic $23 million in Thursday night previews, the biggest preview of any Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie in 2025. Directed by Matt Shakman, the reboot of Marvel’s First Family—starring Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing—sets up what could be the biggest weekend of the year. The 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world pits the Fantastic Four against the cosmic threat of Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
The $23 million from Thursday previews, which started at 2 PM, is more than double Thunderbolts ($11.5 million) and 92% more than Captain America: Brave New World ($12 million), according to reports. This is a strong start and the audience is clearly excited for the movie, which has an 89% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (the highest for a Fantastic Four movie). The previews also put First Steps in the same range as the recent DC movie Superman which opened with $125 million domestically and $220 million globally two weeks ago.
Social media has been a big driver of interest with RelishMix reporting that First Steps has hit one billion in social media reach across TikTok, Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. Fans love the new take, with posts like “This is the Fantastic Four we’ve been waiting for!” and “Galactus is terrifying—Marvel nailed it!” The standalone story, which doesn’t require any MCU knowledge, has been a big draw with one fan saying, “Finally, a Marvel movie I can just walk into and enjoy.”
The film’s opening night is looking good for the weekend, which is estimated to be between $190-210 million worldwide. That’s $100-110m from the US and $90-100m from other countries. First Steps pre-sales are higher than any other 2025 release, including Superman, Lilo and Stitch, and F1: The Movie, especially for people under 35. The film will do well in special formats like IMAX, which might affect Superman’s second weekend.
Critics and early viewers love the film’s visuals, character-focused story and the scary Galactus. Many are calling it “visually amazing” and “a tribute to Marvel’s First Family”. The positive reactions show Marvel Studios can breathe new life into the Fantastic Four franchise, which has had a tough time before, especially with the 2015 reboot, which only made $170m worldwide. First Steps has a production budget of around $180m. If it keeps doing well in August, it can make a profit.
As the film opens worldwide, including France, Italy, the UK and Australia, Fantastic Four: First Steps is proving it can play in the superhero space. Its opening night is setting a high bar for the weekend and showing Marvel’s First Family is ready to take back their spot in the MCU.
Source: Deadline