‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Set to Dominate 2025 Previews, Surpassing ‘Superman’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’
The superhero movie world just got a big reminder: it’s far from dead. Marvel Studios and Disney’s latest film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, is making serious waves, pulling in about $23 million in Thursday previews that kicked off as early as 2PM.
That number comes from industry sources, not Disney itself, but it’s already enough to make it the biggest MCU preview performance of the year.
Originally expected to open somewhere between $100 million to $110 million, the Matt Shakman-directed movie is looking like it could go even higher. It’s off to a stronger start than both Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, more than doubling Thunderbolts*’ preview numbers and beating Captain America by about 92%. That’s a strong sign that fans are showing up in full force for Marvel’s first family.
Right now, The Fantastic Four has an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% from critics and 92% from audiences. That puts it just about even with Thunderbolts* on the audience side, but higher with critics. It’s also ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine in terms of critic response, though the audience rating is pretty much the same.
The Thursday night performance makes this the 12th time a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie has earned more than $20 million in previews. Of course, nothing touches Avengers: Endgame, which still holds the record with $60 million.
Interestingly, the preview haul for Fantastic Four is nearly the same as what Superman made two weeks ago. James Gunn’s new version of the Man of Steel took in $22.5 million in previews, that number included $2.8 million from early Amazon Prime screenings. Superman eventually opened to $125 million after a $56.1 million Friday and earned an A- CinemaScore, with an 84% critic score and a 92% audience rating. With $23 million in previews, the movie surpassed Superman and Lilo & Stitch.
Social media buzz around Fantastic Four: First Steps is massive. According to RelishMix, it’s the first movie this year to cross the billion mark in terms of reach across TikTok, Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
That puts it ahead of other big titles like Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman. Only a few other movies have hit the billion mark, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
The cast is also adding a lot of energy online. RelishMix pointed out that stars like Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, and Julia Garner are all active and bringing attention to the film. Pedro alone has over 11 million followers.
The overall vibe around the movie is really positive, especially because of the 1960s retro-futuristic setting. Fans seem excited about the direction Marvel is going. One fan said, “Setting it in the ’60s was a good idea. This looks better than the previous Fantastic Four movies.” Another added, “This is maybe the first Marvel film I’m genuinely excited for — can’t wait to see it.”
A lot of people also love that they don’t need to have seen a ton of previous Marvel content to enjoy this one. Someone wrote, “So excited to get a new Marvel film where I haven’t had to watch hours of existing movies/shows as a prerequisite for watching!”
And of course, fans are hyped for the villain. Galactus is making his debut, and people are here for it. One fan posted, “Galactus is coming — this movie is about to be Fantastic!” and another said, “The shadow of that helmet — chills.”
With that kind of energy and strong numbers out the gate, The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks like it’s not just a comeback for Marvel, it’s a statement.
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