3 Reasons Superman Beat Fantastic Four: First Steps at the Box Office

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By the end of summer 2025, it’s clear which superhero movie reigned supreme. James Gunn’s “Superman” significantly outperformed “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in both domestic and international markets. Both films were the highest-grossing installments in their series, but “Superman” flew past its competitors with a North American box office gross of over $350 million, just barely making it into the top 25 highest-grossing superhero movies domestically. On the other hand, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is projected to finish domestically with a total between $279 and $281 million.

It’s evident which film earned more success, but it’s not immediately clear what factors contributed to Superman becoming the top-grossing superhero movie of summer 2025. Reflecting on it now, however, three key reasons seem to have played a significant role in Superman outperforming First Steps at the box office. In essence, these factors allowed Superman not only to surpass tall buildings in one leap but also to dominate the box office.

3) Superman Had Unexpected Pleasures Driving Word-of-Mouth

As a devoted moviegoer, I was initially drawn to the new Superman film by the tantalizing Krypto-heavy promotions. However, what truly stole the show for me were some unexpected crowdpleasers that weren’t heavily advertised beforehand.

Mister Terrific, for instance, shone brilliantly in one of Superman’s most memorable scenes (accompanied by Noah and the Whale’s “5 Years Time”), delivering lines with a confidence that left an indelible impression. This wasn’t something I had anticipated before watching the movie.

Similarly, other crowdpleasers like Eve Teschmacher, Metamorpho, and Jimmy Olsen were subtly woven into the narrative, adding depth and delight to the film. These characters were not as prominently featured in the pre-release Superman posters or trailers, making their appearances all the more exciting for viewers in the theater.

In essence, while Krypto may have been the star of the promotional campaign, it was these unsung heroes that truly made the movie shine.

The characters significantly increased people’s excitement for Superman by word of mouth. It wasn’t just conversations about David Corenswet’s captivating acting, but also praise for how the movie exceeded anticipations regarding entertainment. On the other hand, First Steps chose to reduce or eliminate side characters such as Harvey Elder/The Mole Man and Red Ghost during post-production.

This lacked the potential for surprise, delightful secondary characters (similar to Luis in Ant-Man) that might have boosted its popularity through word of mouth or convinced hesitant viewers to watch it. On the other hand, Superman excelled in delivering enjoyable entertainment, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive audience response and impressive box office success.

2) Superman Had The Lighter Tone

In the summer of 2025, two major superhero films opted for a lighter, more entertaining tone, diverging from the gritty styles of previous superhero movies. Of these, the Superman film projected a more populist appeal than Fantastic Four. This became evident right from the initial promotional materials. The movie offered scenes where Green Lantern created giant oven mitts or Krypto engaged in amusing antics to assist Superman. Despite having substantial dramatic depth and sincerity to Superman’s altruistic nature, it was also a film that people could enjoy repeatedly, providing a fun and bubbly viewing experience.

In a different wording, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was marketed around a doom-laden atmosphere due to its storyline featuring Galactus. The grim prospect of baby Franklin Richards meeting a tragic end further amplified this somber tone, potentially discouraging audiences from revisiting the film in cinemas with their friends. Conversely, “Superman” offered an optimistic vibe that resonated with people in 2025, contributing to its box office success.

1) Superman Offered A Clean Slate

The marketing for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” implied to viewers a self-contained, user-friendly adventure in contrast to the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe productions like “Captain America: Brave New World”. Regrettably, upon release, the film retained the Marvel Studios branding that no longer evokes thoughts of automatic excellence or unmissable entertainment among audiences. Furthermore, prior Marvel Studios declarations about characters from “First Steps” playing significant roles in “Avengers: Doomsday” contradicted this film’s presentation as a self-sufficient project.

In simpler terms, Superman debuted in cinemas as the initial movie in the reboot of the DC Universe. Interestingly enough, no subsequent Superman films or other projects featuring Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman were planned prior to its premiere. Consequently, all attention was solely on this specific James Gunn production. This single-focus approach helped generate excitement rather than confusion among audiences, and due to its disconnection from previous DC films, it appealed to a broad spectrum of viewers.

As a passionate moviegoer, I must say that “First Steps” aimed diligently to create a standalone masterpiece, but unfortunately found itself overshadowed by the intricate web of connections within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the flip side, assuming the role of DC Universe’s analog to Iron Man, Superman managed to captivate an extensive audience, drawing them eagerly to the cinema screens.

Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are now playing in theaters everywhere.

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2025-09-02 18:42