‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ scores Marvel’s first $100 million box office opening of 2025

By LINDSEY BAHR and ITZEL LUNA LOS ANGELES AP Marvel s first family has definitively identified box office gold The Fantastic Four First Efforts the first film about the superheroes made under the guidance of Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co earned million in its first weekend in North American theaters according to studio estimates Sunday That makes it the fourth biggest opening of the year behind A Minecraft Movie Lilo Stitch and Superman and the biggest Marvel opening since Deadpool Wolverine grossed million out of the gate last summer Internationally Fantastic Four made million from territories adding up to a million worldwide debut The numbers were within the range the studio was expecting The film arrived in the wake of another big superhero reboot James Gunn s Superman which opened three weekends ago and has already crossed million globally That film from the other main competitor in comic book films DC Studios took second place with million domestically The box office success of First Strategies and Superman means the whole notion of superhero fatigue which has been talked about a lot can I think be put to rest I constantly say it s bad movie fatigue not superhero fatigue mentioned Paul Dergarabedian senior media analyst for evidence firm Comscore First Initiatives is the latest attempt at bringing the superhuman family to the big screen following lackluster performances for other versions The film based on the original Marvel comics is set during the s in a retro-futuristic world led by the Fantastic Four a family of astronauts-turned-superhuman from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission The family is made up of Reed Richards Pedro Pascal who can stretch his body to incredible lengths Sue Storm Vanessa Kirby who can render herself invisible Johnny Storm Joseph Quinn who transforms into a fiery human torch and Ben Grimm Ebon Moss-Bachrach who possesses tremendous superhuman strength with his stone-like flesh The movie takes place four years after the family gained powers during which Reed s inventions have transformed innovation and Sue s diplomacy has led to global peace Both audiences and critics responded positively to the film which at the moment has an on Rotten Tomatoes and promising exit poll responses from opening weekend ticket buyers An estimated of audiences chose to see it on premium screens including IMAX and other large formats The once towering Marvel is working to rebuild audience enthusiasm for its films and characters Its two previous offerings this year did not reach the cosmic box office heights of Deadpool Wolverine which made over billion or those of the Avengers -era But critically the films have been on an upswing since the poorly reviewed Captain America Brave New World which ultimately grossed million worldwide Thunderbolts which jumpstarted the summer movie season was better received critically but financially is capping out at just over million globally Like Deadpool and Wolverine the Fantastic Four characters had been under the banner of th Century Fox for years The studio produced two critically loathed but decently profitable attempts in the mid- s with future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch In it tried again unsuccessfully with Michael B Jordan and Miles Teller They got another chance after Disney s billion acquisition of Fox s entertainment assets in The Fantastic Four s opening weekend results were a little less than particular rival studio projections Dergarabedian noted Nonetheless the film is expected to carry movie theater earnings well into August Holdovers dominated the top but one other newcomer managed to make the chart The dark romantic comedy Oh Hi earned million from screens Jurassic World Rebirth landed in third place in its fourth weekend with million followed by F with million The Brad Pitt racing movie also passed million globally Smurfs rounded out the top five with million in its second weekend The box office is as of now up over from last year Top movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being issued Monday this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U S and Canadian theaters according to Comscore The Fantastic Four First Initiatives million Superman million Jurassic World Rebirth million F The Movie million Smurfs million I Know What You Did Last Summer million How to Train Your Dragon million Eddington million Saiyaara million Oh Hi million