‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Beats Entire Run of 2015 Version in Just One Weekend

Marvel’s new version of Fantastic Four is already a massive win at the box office. The movie, officially titled Fantastic Four: First Steps, made $118 million in its first weekend across over 4,000 theaters in North America. That’s according to Sunday estimates from the studio.

It didn’t just do well domestically. Overseas, it pulled in another $100 million across 52 different markets. Altogether, that’s a huge $218 million global debut, well ahead of the last attempt at a Fantastic Four movie.

For context, the 2015 version of Fantastic Four made only $167.9 million during its entire time in theaters. That includes both U.S. and international ticket sales. The new movie beat that in just three days.

Even before opening weekend, expectations were high. As of July 22, the movie was projected to bring in between $100 and $110 million domestically, with another $90 to $110 million internationally.

The movie even had the biggest Thursday night preview numbers of 2025 so far, earning $24.4 million, more than Superman, which had been the top preview earner until then. On Friday alone, it made $57 million.

All of this makes Fantastic Four: First Steps the fourth biggest opening of the year, behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Superman. It’s also Marvel’s biggest box office start since Deadpool & Wolverine pulled in $211 million last summer.

The 2015 Fantastic Four was a flop by comparison. That movie made $25.6 million in its opening weekend, earning just $11.3 million on opening day. The film’s reception was poor, and many blamed the bad reviews and behind-the-scenes drama.

At the time, Fox’s president of domestic distribution, Chris Aronson, told The New York Times, “There’s not much to say. I have never seen a confluence of events impact the opening of a movie so swiftly.” Director Josh Trank even blamed the studio in a now-infamous tweet.

Things are clearly different this time around. With Kevin Feige and Disney guiding the reboot, fans seem much more excited, and the numbers speak for themselves.

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