Katarzyna Petru
Just as the MCU managed to regroup after a few financial blows, "Fantastic Four: First Steps" bursts into theaters. The title, which was supposed to be a fresh start for the Marvel family, kicks off strongly — but not as strongly as expected. A debut of 118 million dollars is a solid result, but trailing behind James Gunn's "Superman," which launched two weeks earlier with 125 million. The competition is on, but it's already clear who is gaining momentum.
Marvel goes on the attack, but doesn't take the lead
“First Steps” was supposed to be the title that restored Marvel's trust with viewers and refreshed the tired MCU formula. So far, it's a mixed bag: the results are good, but not spectacular. Despite a large campaign and a catchy concept of “a fresh start, but with respect for the classics,” the film didn't meet expectations. Especially since it earned $57 million on Friday, and then it just got weaker — Saturday $33.2 million, 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" pushed out "I Know What You Did Last Summer," which for the second weekend in a row suffered a 60% drop. Family and superhero films have once again taken over the market, although not with a bang in the second tier. Pixar's "Elio" has already disappeared from the list, "How to Train Your Dragon" is dragging behind, and Asta's "Eddington" recorded a 62% drop.
Superhero fatigue? Maybe, but not just yet
With a total of about 200 million $ for the entire weekend and 150 million $ just for superhero movies, one thing is clear: despite all the talk about viewer fatigue, the genre is still holding strong. It's just that… more and more often only the biggest brands are reaching profitability. “Smurfs,” with a budget of 58 million $, only collected 22.7 million $ in the USA. “Eddington,” despite ambitious direction, didn't even reach 10 million $.
The MCU is waking up, but the result is still not redemption
Interestingly, “First Steps” surpasses “Thunderbolts*” ($74 million) and “Captain America: Brave New World” ($89 million), but ties with “Guardians Vol. 3” ($118 million). Among the 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. That says a lot about how eagerly fans have been waiting for a new offering — but also how difficult it is to build one today.
The second week will be crucial
With a grade of A– in CinemaScore and fairly decent reviews (“it lacks magic, but it’s good fun” – wrote Molly Freeman from ScreenRant), “First Steps” might still fight for its place. But it all comes down to the second week. If it can drop below a -51% decline (like “Superman”), that will be a success. If not — we’ll be back to wondering “whether Marvel can still make movies.”
For now? It has turned out reasonably well. But we’ve heard that too many times before.
