The Fantastic Four: Initial Journey represents Marvel’s resurgence in the eyes of critics, yet it struggles to break a persistent lackluster trend at the box office. This film, which introduced Marvel’s original family to the MCU, has been a steady earner at the box office, though not an outstanding one. Its opening weekend exceeded predictions, grossing a global total of $216.7 million, with $117 million of that from domestic sales. Despite this, it trails slightly behind Superman ($220m), making the largest worldwide debut for an MCU film in 2025, surpassing both Captain America: Brave New World ($192.4m) and Thunderbolts* ($160.1m).
*Please note that “Thunderbolts” is a placeholder title as the actual movie has not been announced yet in 2025.
Initially, the movie “Fantastic Four” experienced a significant drop in its second week at the domestic box office, falling by 66%. Despite this substantial decrease, the film has managed to accumulate a global total of $367 million so far, suggesting it will likely surpass $400 million before its theatrical run concludes. This would represent a significant improvement over “Thunderbolts*”‘ $382 million and could even eclipse “Brave New World”‘s $415 million. Given its reported production cost of $200 million, this success would not only make the movie profitable but also potentially lead to a sequel. However, it underscores the evolving landscape for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Box Office May Be The MCU’s New Normal
It took the Marvel Cinematic Universe some time to establish itself as a dominant force at the box office. The debut of Iron Man was a grand start with worldwide earnings of $585 million, but only its sequel managed to cross the half-billion dollar mark among the other Phase 1 solo films. The Incredible Hulk ($264m), Thor ($449m), and Captain America: The First Avenger ($370m) had more modest box office performances, despite still being undeniably successful. However, after The Avengers surpassed the billion-dollar mark in 2012, the franchise never looked back, and none of the films from Phases 2-3 made less than $500 million.
During Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), box office records were shattered. Out of the 11 films in this phase, six surpassed $1 billion at the box office, with two of them – Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – earning more than $2 billion each. This period, which spanned from Black Panther to Spider-Man: Far From Home, saw five out of six MCU films exceed the billion-dollar mark. This was a remarkable era for Marvel Studios and cinemas in general, but it may skew our perspective when comparing subsequent phases.
Achieving a billion dollars at the box office has become commonplace or anticipated for Marvel films, but this shouldn’t be the standard. In fact, it’s becoming more challenging for any film to surpass this milestone – it seems like Jurassic World Rebirth may not reach that level, being the first Jurassic World movie to fall short. So far, only two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films have managed it this decade: Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine. Given these trends, we might start considering $800 million as a new $1 billion in terms of its impressive nature. And with that perspective, a film making over $400 million starts to look much more appealing.
As a cinephile reflecting on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s evident that the days of brand recognition alone propelling a film to earn over $600-700 million are behind us. Movies like Thunderbolts* or First Steps, even if they aren’t sequels, will need more than just the MCU label to reach such heights. This stark truth might be tough to swallow, but it’s a reality we must adapt to when discussing and evaluating these films.
The well-received and audience-loved Fantastic Four, featuring beloved characters (albeit ones yet to star in a blockbuster) and the charismatic Pedro Pascal, demonstrates this shift. The MCU’s reputation, while still powerful, no longer guarantees box office gold on its own.
Despite some challenges – like July being quite busy and the past Fantastic Four films not being well-received – there were signs pointing towards success. And it seems to be living up to expectations, even if it’s not quite on par with the usual box office success of an MCU movie. If First Steps manages to earn around $450 million or thereabouts, that could become the new standard for a non-sequel MCU film with positive reviews.
Why The MCU Is No Longer The Dominant Box Office Force
In discussions about the box office success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a frequently mentioned concern is “superhero burnout” and an overabundance of superhero movies. It’s clear that this saturation occurred, and Marvel itself acknowledges it – that’s why they’re reducing their output, not just in cinemas but also on Disney+. The MCU has suffered from a dip in quality, not only from films produced by Marvel Studios, but also from other productions like those from Sony’s Marvel lineup. Sometimes, viewers can’t tell the difference between MCU and such productions, which has negatively impacted the former’s reputation. In fact, all of the MCU’s five lowest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes have been released in the 2020s.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – 46%
- Eternals – 46%
- Captain America: Brave New World – 47%
- The Marvels – 62%
- Thor: Love & Thunder – 63%
When you consider the decline in positive reviews, the overwhelming amount of content to consume, and a sense that keeping up with everything is necessary to follow along, it’s not surprising that some people might choose to postpone viewing, especially if a Disney+ release is upcoming. This trend reflects a broader issue in the movie industry that extends beyond Marvel, as the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted box office earnings. Despite delays, strikes, and other challenges, the box office hasn’t fully recovered yet, as shown by the graph below from Statista.
You will find more infographics at Statista
As a devoted movie enthusiast, I can’t ignore the significance of the Chinese box office in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the latter part of the 2010s, studio blockbusters increasingly leaned on this market. However, with fewer Hollywood films being imported and the Chinese audience gravitating towards local productions, this revenue stream has shrunk rapidly. Unfortunately, movies like “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” have only earned $5m in China, and even popular hits like “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which was a massive success, could only muster $59m. This pales in comparison to the non-sequels of Phase 3.
- Doctor Strange – China: $109m, Total: $677m
- Spider-Man: Homecoming – China: $116m, Total: $880m
- Black Panther – China: $105m, Total: $1.3bn
- Captain Marvel – China: $154m, Total: $1.1bn
It’ll Be A While Before We Know The State Of The MCU’s Box Office After Fantastic Four
The decline in box office performance for the MCU isn’t tied to a single factor, and therefore, there’s no quick solution. To maintain success, they should concentrate on producing superior films, with fewer releases overall – a strategy exemplified by upcoming projects like Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four. However, it may take some time to evaluate the future of the MCU beyond its major event movies, as they currently only have these types of films scheduled.
In the year 2026, we’ll witness the arrivals of “Spider-Man: A Fresh Start” and “Avengers: Apocalypse”, followed by “Avengers: Secret Wars” in 2027. Marvel has marked out some other dates, but no films have been assigned to them as of now. These three releases are expected to surpass the $1 billion mark, given their titles and content. If they fail to do so, it might indicate a more significant issue. However, until we see the development of other movies like “Blade” (laughs) or “Shang-Chi 2” (Marvel please), it’ll be hard to gauge if the market for these kinds of films recovers post-“The Fantastic Four”.
Right now, “The Fantastic Four: First Footsteps” is only available in cinemas. “Spider-Man: A Fresh Start” is set to premiere on July 31, 2026. “Avengers: The Day of Doom” will be out on December 18, 2026, with “Avengers: Secret Wars” following suit on December 17, 2027.
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2025-08-06 01:43