Katarzyna Petru
Hardly had the MCU managed to recover from a few financial blows when 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' hits cinemas. The title, which was supposed to be a fresh start for the Marvel family, starts strong — but not as strong as anticipated. A debut of $118 million is a solid result, but it trails behind James Gunn's 'Superman', which launched two weeks earlier with $125 million. The competition is on, but it's already clear who is running with more momentum.
Marvel launches an attack, but does not take the lead
“First Steps” was meant to be the title that would restore Marvel's credibility with viewers and refresh the tired MCU formula. So far, it’s been a mixed bag: a good result, but not spectacular. Despite a large campaign and the catchy concept of “restart, but with respect for the classics,” the film did not meet expectations. Especially since on Friday it earned $57 million, and then it only got weaker — Saturday brought in $33.2 million, and Sunday $27.8 million. A typical front-load.
Box Office Weekend Table:
Title | Revenue (3 days) | Total (USA) |
|---|---|---|
The Fantastic Four: First Steps | $118 million | $118 million (week 1) |
Superman | $24.8 million | $289.5 million (week 3) |
Jurassic World: Rebirth | $13 million | $301.5 million (week 4) |
F1 | $6.2 million | $165.6 million (week 5) |
The Smurfs | $5.4 million | $22.7 million (week 2) |
Interestingly, 'The Fantastic Four' has knocked 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' off the chart, which has experienced a 60% drop for the second weekend in a row. Family and superhero films have once again taken over the market, although without much excitement in the second tier. Pixar's 'Elio' has already disappeared from the list, 'How to Train Your Dragon' is lagging behind, and Asta's 'Eddington' has recorded a 62% drop.
Superhero fatigue? Maybe, but not just yet
With a total of around 200 million $ for the entire weekend and 150 million $ just for superhero films, one thing is clear: despite the constant chatter about audience fatigue, the genre still holds strong. The only difference is that... increasingly, only the biggest brands are reaching profitability. "The Smurfs," with a budget of 58 million $, only gathered 22.7 million $ in the USA. "Eddington," despite its ambitious direction, didn't even reach 10 million $.
The MCU is waking up, but the outcome is not yet redemption
Interestingly, “First Steps” surpasses “Thunderbolts*” ($74 million) and “Captain America: Brave New World” ($89 million), but is on par with “Guardians Vol. 3” ($118 million). Among post-COVID MCU hits, only the following are higher:
Deadpool & Wolverine – $211 million
Wakanda Forever – $181 million
Doctor Strange 2 – $187 million
Thor: Love and Thunder – $144 million
No Way Home – $260 million
The difference? “First Steps” is the only film that is not a sequel. This says a lot about how eagerly fans have been awaiting a new distribution — but also how difficult it is to build one today.
The second week will be crucial
With a rating of A– in CinemaScore and fairly decent reviews (“lacks magic, but it's good fun” – wrote Molly Freeman from ScreenRant), “First Steps” still has a chance. But everything will hinge on the second week. If it manages to stay below a drop of -51% (like “Superman”), it will be a success. If not — we will once again return to the pondering about “whether Marvel still knows how to make cinema.”
So far? It has turned out quite well. But we have heard that too many times before.
