Despite its disappointing box office performance, The Fantastic Four: First Steps still has the chance to claim a coveted тιтle. Marvel Studios is correcting all the production mistakes that made Phase 4 and 5 less consistent than the previous three. Unfortunately, none of the MCU’s 2025 movies have met expectations at the box office.
Close to a month after its release, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ box office has crossed the $472 million mark and is approaching the $500 million landmark. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ $500 million will help the movie escape flop status, but it barely makes it a success. Surpᴀssing Ant-Man‘s $518 million is still possible, but matching Iron Man‘s $584 million looks increasingly unlikely.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Can Still Enter The Top 10 Highest-Grossing Superhero Movies Of The 2020s
The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ slow climb towards $500 million may seem disappointing, but it still gives Matt Shakman’s Phase 6 movie plenty of credit. By reaching $507 million, The Fantastic Four: First Steps would earn itself a spot in the top ten highest-grossing comic book movies of the 2020s. First Steps is close to knocking Venom: Let There Be Carnage off the tenth spot.
|
Release Year |
Comic Book Movie |
Total Box Office |
|---|---|---|
|
2021 |
Spider-Man: No Way Home |
$1.92 billion |
|
2024 |
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine |
$1.33 billion |
|
2022 |
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness |
$952 million |
|
2022 |
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
$859 million |
|
2023 |
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 |
$845.5 million |
|
2022 |
The Batman |
$772.5 million |
|
2022 |
Thor: Love and Thunder |
$760.9 million |
|
2023 |
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse |
$690.8 million |
|
2025 |
Superman |
$600 million (ongoing) |
|
2021 |
Venom: Let There Be Carnage |
$507 million |
The tenth spot is the highest The Fantastic Four: First Steps may be able to climb on this list. Meanwhile, Superman can get close to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but its digital release makes a $690+ million pull much less likely. Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ performance shows just how impressive ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine‘s $1.33 billion success was only one year earlier.
By reaching Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s $476 million, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will also exit the MCU’s top ten lowest-grossing movies. Sadly, Captain America: Brave New World remains at seventh on this list with $413.6 million and Thunderbolts* remains at fifth with $382.4 million. Hence, 2022 was a highlight year for the comic book genre’s box office and 2025 a low point.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Tenth Spot Won’t Last For Long, And That’s Good News
The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ claim to the tenth spot in the top ten highest-grossing movies of the 2020s will probably be challenged soon. Spider-Man: Brand New Day aims for a much bigger box office in July 2026, and Avengers: Doomsday won’t aim for anything lower than $1.5 billion in December 2026. In 2027, Avengers: Secret Wars will likely set its sights on $2 billion.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is gearing up to be the end of Marvel’s disappointing box office run. Fortunately, the MCU’s upcoming projects all seem like box office darlings. The three-hit combo of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars could help renew the MCU’s goodwill and distance the franchise from sub-$500 million numbers.
