'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAHxAAAgICAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEBhIiQXFy/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECABH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMQ5BvqkOpJqwRwkr1kKgA7rFV6yTb+Hevs4xgsgHMk3T3f/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has just achieved a major feat a month ahead of its release. Per Fandango, the new MCU movie, which will hit the theaters in July, has witnessed a sharp uptick in its opening day pre-sales. It has sold more first-day tickets than any other movie released in 2025. So, word on the street is this Fantastic Four movie is going to bring the MCU back to its box-office glory.
It seems to be a major cause of concern for the MCU fans. The superhero universe has struggled to reach this feat since the end of its Infinity Saga. Since 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame, it has rarely managed to cross the coveted $1 billion mark with its ticket sales.
The only two movies that managed to achieve this feat were Tom Holland-led Spider-Man projects: 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Since then, the universe has faced a dry spell both critically and commercially. Call it superhero fatigue or the lack of usual intrigue, but the MCU movies have often struggled on many fronts since then.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps might help the MCU achieve a box-office success that Thunderbolts* couldn't
Since the end of Phase Three, the MCU has not received near-unanimous praise for most of its projects. It tried to venture into the streaming television space, and while some projects worked, others didn't.
This blockbuster studio has struggled to build a cultural cachet that will stay in people's minds till long after the credits start rolling. Unfortunately, there have been only a few exceptions to its creative letdowns.
In 2025, Captain America: Brave New World received a less-than-favorable response from the critics, and the audiences were not too pleased with this action thriller either. The Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford starrer earned about $415 million, and this box office performance was deemed underwhelming.
More recently, MCU's Thunderbolts* earned positive reviews, but it has struggled to find momentum on the commercial front with the consecutive releases of the year's similarly anticipated projects like Final Destination: Bloodlines, Lilo & Stitch, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, among others. So, even if it gave the fans that "old Marvel feeling," it didn't translate as much at the box office collection.
Soon, the studio will follow it up with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn. With a July 2025 release date locked, the movie might just take the MCU to the box office heights that the studio might need. It marks the first chapter in Phase Six, which must be a cause for interest.
Before The Fantastic Four: First Steps, other movies based on Marvel's First Family have not been the big box office success stories that the MCU is known for. Whether it's the Chris Evans-led movies from the 2000s or the Miles Teller-led movie in 2015, they did not meet the audience's expectations.
So, First Steps might just be Marvel's way to course-correct itself. With the latest report from Fandango about its opening-day ticket sales, the early signs seem all the more promising.
Trending
MCU's The Fantastic Four: First Steps is slated to be released in the United States on July 25, 2025.
Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!
Reply
