A new box office report claims Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are headed towards huge opening weekends. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first two movies of 2025 ended up disappointing at the box office, with Thunderbolts* becoming one of the lowest performers among all movies in the MCU. However, it appears that the next superhero films to be released this year could escape that negative trend, with DC coming out of the gate with a huge win with the first movie in James Gunn’s DC Universe, while Marvel Studios bounces back with the Fantastic Four.
According to Box Office Theory, DC’s Superman is early tracking for a domestic opening weekend in the $140-185 million range, while Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps could debut at $125-155 million. It is important to note that since both superhero movies are still a fair bit away, tracking for their domestic openings will fluctuate as they get closer to release. That said, the projections are exciting, as the upcoming DCU movie could be the major performer that the studio needs to launch a new universe, and Marvel’s slate of projects after the Fantastic Four reboot could carry the momentum of the film.
What Superman & The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Early Opening Weekend Projections Mean
Marvel And DC’s Plans Seem To Be Working As Expected
There is no denying that Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are the two biggest superhero movies of the year. James Gunn’s Superman film reboots the hero and uses him to kickstart a whole new universe. Gunn has talked about how his 10-year plan for the DC Universe hinges on Superman being a hit. With its early domestic opening weekend projections in the $140-185 million range, of which only Thursday previews already look at a baseline of $22 million, it seems like the DCU will be off to a solid start.
The best domestic opening for a DCEU movie was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s $166 million, and Gunn’s Superman could pᴀss it based on the projections. As for Marvel, the studio recently saw Captain America: Brave New World underperform, while Thunderbolts* failed to meet the high expectations set for it after overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and the audience alike. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ projected opening weekend in the $125-155 million range could have it rank as high as the 12th best for an MCU movie if it hits the high end of the projections.
Our Take On Superman & The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Early Opening Weekend Projections
The Final Superhero Movies Of 2025 Are Set To Be Major Hits
Based on how Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps have had great marketing, with Superman‘s latest trailer once again generating a lot of chatter online, and are focused on huge heroes, I did not expect anything less than what the early opening weekend projections predict. With a similar performance overseas, both films could be making their way toward the half-a-billion mark by the end of their first weekend in theaters. While it is still too early to tell if the projections will be met, I’m optimistic about Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ box office runs.
Source: Box Office Theory
