The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Box Office Struggles Reveal A Troubling MCU Trend

The Fantastic Four: First Steps sadly continues a negative Marvel Cinematic Universe trend set up by the franchise’s previous film. When I heard that the Fantastic Four were coming to the MCU, I was ecstatic. While there have been fun Fantastic Four movies in the past, the definitive version of the team has only now come to the big screen.

The MCU’s first Fantastic Four movie is great from start to finish. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene is also crucial to the franchise’s future, setting up the next two Avengers movies. Based on how Marvel Studios made them feel like a family and their powers shone onscreen, I thought The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be a hit.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ budget is reportedly $200 million. Based on that, we can know how much the movie needs to make to break even. The MCU’s Fantastic Four movie will be fine if it ends its worldwide run in the $400-500 million range. However, Marvel was looking at a profit with the Fantastic Four, which might not amount to much.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Box Office Just Took A Negative Turn

Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm looking upward in awe in The Fantastic Four First Steps

While DC is having one of its best years in a long time, with James Gunn’s Superman movie topping all other superhero entries in 2025, Marvel Studios saw both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underperform. Thankfully, the MCU’s latest movie is performing better than them, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps already pᴀssing Thunderbolts*‘s entire domestic box office.

However, that does not mean that the MCU movie is a hit. According to box office analyst Luiz Fernando, The Fantastic Four: First Steps had one of the worst second-weekend drops for an MCU movie. Marvel’s First Family ended its second weekend at the theatrical box office with $38.7 million, which leads to a -67.1% drop from its opening weekend.

Superhero movies, particularly Marvel entries, are known for being front-loaded at the box office. That means that a sizable portion of its theatrical returns come in the first few weeks. With such a major second weekend drop and how the MCU’s other 2025 movies performed, I find it hard to believe that The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ legs will surprise.

The MCU’s Fantastic Four Movie & Thunderbolts* Form A Disappointing MCU Box Office Trend

Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova stands in front of the Thunderbolts asterisk and looks at the camera

When it comes to the MCU’s 2025 films, a tragic parallel can be traced between Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score for Captain America: Brave New World sits at just 46%, Thunderbolts*‘s is higher, at 88%, while the MCU Fantastic Four movie is a little below it, at 86%.

Based on that, both Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics but did not elicit the same response in terms of box office returns. After the MCU dealt with many issues throughout the Multiverse Saga, I believe 2025 helped bring the franchise’s overall quality up, with releases like the two movies and Daredevil: Born Again.

So, to see Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, two engaging movies that focus on new MCU teams, face box office trouble is disappointing. At least the MCU Fantastic Four movie is projected to cross the half-billion mark worldwide, being the only MCU film to do so in 2025, which offers some hope for future releases.

The MCU’s Upcoming Movies Could Break That Trend

I really thought that The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be able to finish its global run in the $800 million range, which is not possible now that we know how it is performing in theaters. However, not everything is doom and gloom when it comes to the MCU’s movies. That is due to the franchise’s upcoming movie slate.

The MCU simply has two of its strongest box office franchises coming back next year. First will be Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the follow-up to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed nearly $2 billion by the end of its run. Then, Marvel will release two movies from its biggest franchise, with Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Secret Wars in 2027.

The MCU’s upcoming Avengers movies have also been delayed. Now, Doomsday and Secret Wars will both be released in December of their respective release years. That is the same slot that led to Spider-Man: No Way Home breaking box office records throughout its run. Despite the MCU’s box office woes, all three films seem poised to break $1 billion.

How Thunderbolts* And The Fantastic Four Could Still Get Sequels Despite The Box Office Trend

The MCU's Fantastic Four in Real 3D poster stood together

While Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are not the most financially exciting releases in the MCU, I’m still confident that both franchises could return for sequels and do even better. The New Avengers — formerly Thunderbolts — and the Fantastic Four have been confirmed to return in the upcoming Avengers movies. The latter will be crucial due to Doctor Doom.

I believe that the superhero teams’ presence in the Avengers movies, which are historically heavy hitters for the MCU, could boost their popularity, leading to bigger box office returns for sequels. Likewise, with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps releasing on digital, more people will watch the MCU entries, helping boost the franchises’ return chances.