'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Is Tracking Towards a Strong Debut

After a triumphant 2024 that saw the historic release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios returned to theaters earlier this year, with the long-delayed Captain America: Brave New World.

Hitting theaters on February 11, Captain America 4 exceeded expectations in its debut frame and delivered a $100 million opening weekend. Unfortunately, the film’s poor audience reviews quickly caught up with it, and it lost momentum. The film concluded its box office run with a total of $415.1 million.

Photo: Marvel

Next up for Marvel was Thunderbolts*, which introduced a new super team to the MCU.

Under the watchful eye of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus), the MCU’s Thunderbolts included Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell).

Photo: Marvel

Released to theaters on May 2, Thunderbolts* was lauded by critics and fans alike. Unfortunately, this universal praise did not lead to box office dominance. The film ended its run, grossing $370.29 million.

Suddenly, the success of Deadpool & Wolverine looked more like an anomaly than the start of a new trend.

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Enter ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’

It is against this backdrop that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will hit theaters on July 25.

Photo: Marvel

Perhaps the most anticipated Marvel film since Avengers: Doomsday, First Steps will see the long-awaited introduction of Marvel’s First Family into the MCU.

Needless to say, the stakes for Marvel are high. The Fantastic Four needs to be a hit.

Photo: Marvel

Thankfully, so far things look good for the film.

The Film Is Tracking Toward a Strong Debut

According to a new report from Box Office Theory, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is projected to have a domestic opening of between $125 million and $150 million.

Such a debut would give The Fantastic Four the third-best opening for a new Marvel franchise, behind only Black Panther ($202 million) and Captain Marvel ($153 million).

Photo: Marvel

Like all Marvel releases, the key for The Fantastic Four will be to hold its audience week over week and have an extended box office run. Based on the tracking, however, it appears that the film has a real chance to become another Marvel blockbuster.