Disney CEO Addresses Fantastic Four: First Steps After Recent Box Office Slump

WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS from The Fantastic Four: First Steps.Bob Iger responds to The Fantastic Four: First Steps having a big drop at the box office during its second week. The final Marvel Cinematic Universe movie for 2025 marked the beginning of Marvel’s First Family finally joining the beloved franchise, as The Fantastic Four: First Steps also kicked off Phase 6 for Marvel Studios.

Following The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending, the Phase 6 film has been receiving a lot of positive reviews and good word of mouth, as audiences are getting to experience the MCU’s take on the iconic heroes. However, The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrived in one of 2025’s most compeтιтive months, as it is up against multiple big releases at the box office.

During a Disney earnings call with Iger, the Disney CEO finally commented on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, including how the film had a 66% drop during its second week at the box office. Iger made it clear that Disney is proud of what Marvel Studios accomplished with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as he shared the following:

Bob Iger: The more we can find and develop original property, the better. Of course, we are developing original property under the 20th Century banner and under the Searchlight banner. And look, you could even argue that Marvel continues to mine its library of characters for original property. Even though, for instance, there have been Fantastic Four movies before, we kind of consider the one we did an original property in many respects, because we’re introducing those characters to people who are not familiar with them at all. [The Fantastic Four: First Steps] successfully launched this important franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At the time of this story’s publication, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is sitting at $371.9 million at the worldwide box office. In the domestic market, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has collected $201.6 million while it has grossed $170.2 million internationally.

What Bob Iger’s Fantastic Four Comments Mean

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

While time will tell what The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ box office numbers will look like after its run, it’s clear from Iger’s comments that there is a future for the Marvel icons. Disney has been focusing on scaling back how much they release in order to improve quality, and Marvel is part of that, especially after The Multiverse Saga’s mixed results.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scenes set up the heroes’ big return in 2026, as they’ll be back in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently in production. With Fantastic Four also confirmed for Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU fans will be getting to spend more time with these characters in the next two years, which could help them build a bigger following in future sequels.

Our Take On Bob Iger’s Fantastic Four Comments

The Fantastic Four: First Steps official poster with Galactus and Fantastic Four

Hearing Iger acknowledge how The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gave Marvel’s First Family the cinematic treatment they deserve, time will tell what Fantastic Four 2 will look like whenever it gets greenlit. With the MCU retooling its strategies, a sequel could potentially do better after The Multiverse Saga.

Whether or not The Fantastic Four: First Steps will break even remains to be seen, but the Phase 6 installment will most likely emerge as the MCU’s highest-grossing film in 2025. Hopefully, after their return in the new Avengers movies, The Fantastic Four: First Steps heroes will expand their following worldwide for Phase 7 and beyond.

Source: Disney