Weekend Box Office Winner: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, directed by Matt Shakman, opened with a strong $118 million, making it the third-best start for Marvel’s films since 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This is the third-best start since the launch of The Avengers and the pandemic, with all of Marvel’s films grossing over $500 million globally. However, the film had a frontloaded weekend, with First Steps making $57 million on Thursday and Friday versus $61 million estimated on Saturday and Sunday. The $28,606 per-theater average ranks 17th among MCU films, and all of them grossed over $300 million. Despite this, First Steps had the 14th-best Thursday/Friday in a while.
With a global total already over $218 million, Marvel should find itself back in the $500+ million camp worldwide. The upcoming schedule for the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day and a return of the Fantastic Four to face Robert Victor Von Downey Doom Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday (2026), should be a nice palate cleanser for many of their recent misfires.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is expected to be a significant win for Marvel Studios, a comic book empire that has struggled with commercial consistency over the past five years. They’ve had success with familiar characters like Deadpool and Wolverine, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. But Marvel’s recent entry, Thunderbolts, ended with a low-grossing $382 million. Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, has emphasized the need for Marvel to focus on making movies that cost less but are of a higher caliber.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery achieved a successful weekend at the global box office, with two films, Superman and Apple’s F1, crossing the $500 million mark. This is a significant milestone for DC Studios, as “Superman” marks the first theatrical debut of James Gunn and Peter Safran since their co-heading of the film and TV unit in late 2022. The film is currently the fourth-highest-grossing Superman film globally, behind 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2013’s Man of Steel.
28 Years Later, a sequel to the 28 Days Later franchise, has passed a significant box office milestone too. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Alfie Williams, the film follows the Rage Virus outbreak three decades after its initial outbreak. It has grossed $150 million globally, with $80 million coming from the international market and $70 million from the domestic box office. It is the third-highest-grossing movie in Danny Boyle’s career, behind Slumdog Millionaire and Yesterday.
The movie has been steadily increasing its box office earnings since its global release on June 20, 2025. The Numbers reports that 28 Years Later achieved a $150 million global box office milestone, with a very healthy $70 million coming from domestic sales and $80 million from the overseas market.
On the other hand, Universal’s M3GAN 2.0, despite being produced by the same team that made the original film a hit, is struggling to make a profit. The film has only earned $23 million in the US and $14 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $37 million after almost a month. Despite a production cost of around $25 million, the sequel is unlikely to make a significant return and is likely to disappear from theaters next week.
What do you think of the Box Office results this week? Have you watched any of the movies? Let us know in the comments below!
