Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Stumbles with Disappointing First Monday Box Office, Lower Than Benchmarks Set by Superman, Quantumania, and Captain America: Brave New World

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Marvel Studio’s movie titled “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” experienced a setback as its initial Monday box office figures, released unconventionally on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, showed earnings of $10.4 million within the U.S. This number has sparked worry among Marvel executives, particularly when considering it against the performance of recent superhero movies and their hopes for a significant comeback.

On the opening Monday of this week, my admiration for the box office performance of DC Studios’ Superman (July 14, 2025) remains undiminished, as it outshone our presentation with an impressive $12.9 million. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), a film that underperformed, still managed to surpass our debut by earning $14.28 million on its first Monday. Even Captain America: Brave New World, initially considered a major commercial disappointment with an opening weekend of $88.8 million, left us in the dust on its first Monday, raking in $11.17 million. I can’t help but feel a bit disheartened by these comparisons.

The delay in revealing these figures – coming from one of the final movies to report for the day – seems to indicate a degree of uncertainty or reluctance on the part of the studio, potentially because they wanted to minimize the impact of its underwhelming box office performance compared to previous expectations or other films. With a domestic opening of $117.6 million and a global haul of $216.7 million, First Steps fell short of Superman’s domestic debut of $125 million and its global debut of $220 million.

Although the movie garnered acclaim from certain quarters for its futuristic aesthetic reminiscent of the past and a powerful cast featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the fact that it was released on Monday could indicate challenges in maintaining audience engagement over time.

Analysts anticipated that the movie First Steps, backed by its strong Rotten Tomatoes score (86%), Criticless score (64%), and A- CinemaScore, would help overcome Marvel’s recent box office woes after disappointing showings from Captain America: Brave New World ($413.6 million globally) and Thunderbolts ($382.1 million globally). However, the early numbers indicate a front-loaded weekend attendance, suggesting a significant drop of approximately 60% in its second week, which might lead to a domestic total of around $47 million.

There could be several reasons behind the decrease in revenue. The movie encountered stiff competition from Superman, which continued to draw a large audience during its third week, earning $24.9 million. Moreover, First Steps had a lower turnout of families (17%) compared to the average for PG-13 superhero films (21%). This was noticeable in suburban and rural areas, as reported by EntTelligence.

The potential decrease in this demographic might affect its longevity, even with high-end contributions such as IMAX, contributing to 13.6% of its initial weekend earnings.

Marvel was optimistic that the film “First Steps” would initiate Phase Six of the MCU and serve as a prelude to “Avengers: Doomsday“. With a production budget exceeding $200 million, along with substantial marketing expenses, it requires consistent ticket sales to cover its costs. Despite its global launch of $218 million, which is a new record for the Fantastic Four franchise, the initial Monday earnings raise questions about its capacity to match the endurance of top MCU titles, all of which surpassed $300 million domestically following openings above $117 million.

Moving forward, Marvel Studios might have to reconsider their approach in order to win back audience confidence following a series of uneven movies. The performance of “First Steps” at the box office hints that Marvel’s primary team may still struggle to restore the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s past brilliance.

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2025-07-30 00:56