The Fantastic Four: First Steps had an incredible opening at the box office, but with a 66% drop in its second weekend, you might be wondering: is it considered a success? To answer the question, we need to look at its budget.
Six years ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at its zenith. Avengers: Endgame shattered records, achieving the $1 billion milestone in just five days and becoming the second highest-grossing movie of all time (beaten only by Avatar).
It proved that audiences were still hungry for superhero epics. But in the years since, despite several successes, the MCU has struggled to capture the same cultural dominance, with titles like Ant-Man 3, The Marvels, and Secret Invasion signaling an end to its reigning era.
Then came Marvel’s First Family. By rebooting one of the franchise’s most iconic teams (with an all-star cast to match), there were hopes it would reverse superhero fatigue alongside the arrival of the DCU’s Superman. So, how does it stack up?
The Fantastic Four: First Steps break even point
Firstly, let’s consider how much it needs to make at the box office: with an estimated budget of $200 million, it needs to draw in approximately $500 million minimum.
How did we get to that figure? Well, the rule of thumb is that new movies need to make approximately 2.5 times their original budget to break even due to the additional costs such as fees to exhibitors, merchandising, and taxes.
The $200 million sum is the estimated production budget, meaning there are also marketing costs to consider, which for Marvel blockbusters can exceed $100 million. Plus, studios only keep about 50-60% of box office revenue (and even less from international markets).
Even if First Steps makes $500 million, this still isn’t a huge return on investment for the MCU – especially when considering the profits made during the pre-Endgame era.
The Fantastic Four box office total
As of August 4, 2025, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has made just over $198 million in the US and $170 million internationally, bringing its total box office haul to $368.7 million.
The film had a fantastic opening at the box office, earning nearly $218 million globally in its first weekend, $118 million of which came from North America, which outpaces other 2025 MCU blockbusters.
Thunderbolts, for instance, grossed $76 million domestically and $162 million overall in its first three days. Prior to this, Captain America: Brave New World made $88.8 million domestically and $92.4 million from overseas, bringing its debut total to just over $181 million.
The Fantastic Four’s opening was only just beaten by James Gunn’s Superman, which earned $125 million domestically and $95 million internationally, bringing its total to $220 million in those first three days.
One 2025 release it didn’t beat by far is Disney’s Lilo & Sitch live-action remake, which smashed box office records with a $341 million box office haul, $183 million of which came from domestic sales during the four-day holiday weekend.
Similarly, A Minecraft Movie made $163 million in North America and $150.7 million from international markets, bringing its opening earnings to over $313 million. So, despite First Steps’ strong start, it’s now trailing far behind these other titles.
First Steps stumbles in its second weekend
The Fantastic Four: First Steps earned $40 million at the domestic box office over its second weekend, marking a 66% drop.
This isn’t unusual for superhero flicks, with other titles experiencing even higher drop-offs during their sophomore theatrical runs, including:
- The Marvels – 78%
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – 70%
- Captain America: Brave New World – 68%
- Black Widow – 68%
- Thor: Love and Thunder – 68%
Given the figure it needs to break even, First Steps won’t be reaching the heights of the pre-Endgame MCU, but that doesn’t mean the outlook is bleak. The studio is likely banking on First Steps to lay the groundwork for bigger payoffs in the next phase.
As analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations told Variety, “Fantastic Four is not a top-tier Marvel franchise. Never has been. Remember, this ramps up into Avengers. That’s the real payoff.”
Plus, we’ve got Spider-Man: Brand New Day coming up, which is expected to be another box office juggernaut when it drops in July 2026.
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