‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Smashes Superman’s Opening Day in Europe!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has kicked off with a strong opening in Europe, especially in Italy, bringing MCU fans back to theaters after the long COVID pause.
Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby’s new MCU film made a solid $1 million on its Wednesday opening day, drawing in about 112,000 moviegoers.
This is a big deal considering it doubled the opening day earnings of Superman, which made $515,000 in the same market. Jurassic World Rebirth, meanwhile, earned $1.1 million.
#TheFantasticFour kicks off its first steps bringing MCU fans back to theatres in Europe!
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) July 24, 2025
In #Italy’s #BoxOffice, #PedroPascal & #VanessaKirby scored one of #MCU’s biggest Opening Days post-COVID (see below) as #TheFantasticFourFirstSteps grossed strong $1M on WED Opening Day,… pic.twitter.com/3h1crPLZ8u
When compared to other Marvel movies’ opening day numbers in Italy, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is holding its own. It outperformed The Marvels, which opened with $300,000, and Captain America: Brave New World at $532,000.
It even surpassed films like Thunderbolts and Quantumania, which made $639,000 and $665,000 respectively. Other MCU titles like Eternals, Wakanda Forever, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had smaller openings too, with figures ranging from $700,000 up to $932,000.
The Fantastic Four’s $1 million opening day is just below Thor: Love and Thunder’s $1.4 million and quite strong for a post-COVID MCU release.
Industry sources are optimistic, hoping the movie will pull in between $4.5 million and $6 million over its first five days in Italy alone. One insider said, “Just like reviews convinced audiences to go to Superman for the nth time, so will they persuade non-frequent moviegoers here on Fantastic Four.”
The film’s production budget is around $200 million, which is standard for a Marvel movie these days. It’s actually the most expensive Marvel movie set to come out in 2025 but still far less costly than Avengers: Endgame, which had a price tag of about $400 million.
James Gunn recently talked about why Superman hasn’t done as well internationally. He pointed out that Superman doesn’t have the same global recognition as other superheroes like Batman.
Gunn explained, “Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things.” Gunn also mentioned that anti-American feelings in some countries might be holding the movie back overseas, although Superman is performing well in countries like Brazil and the UK.
Despite mixed international reactions, Gunn called the overall response to Superman “very positive” and shared how proud he is of the project. He said, “Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter and I have been watering for the past three years. So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming.”
Superman is still expected to cross $500 million worldwide this weekend, so its run is far from over.
This early success for The Fantastic Four: First Steps shows MCU fans are excited to return to theaters, and with Comic-Con and other events coming up, more buzz is sure to follow. If you want to share your thoughts, drop a comment below!
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