The Fantastic Four: First Steps crossed DC’s Superman with a $24.4 million in preview gross at the North American box office

DC’s Superman may have soared high in the sky, but Marvel’s First Family has taken an even higher flight. The Fantastic Four: First Steps has earned over $24.4 million at the North American box office through its early preview screenings, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

The domestic preview collection puts the latest MCU effort ahead of DCU’s debut project, which earned about $22.8 million in its previews. With these numbers, the Marvel film has become the most successful project of 2025 in terms of North American previews. After this promising start, it is also projected to be a success on its opening weekend.

According to Disney and Marvel projections, the film is expected to earn around $100-$110 million domestically on its opening weekend, and the same overseas. In that context, it can be behind the DC film domestically, which earned $125 million upon its debut in North American theaters.

Despite those facts, The Fantastic Four: First Steps seems like a step in the right direction for Marvel, which has struggled to draw audiences with their recent efforts.

What are critics saying about the film?

In May, Thunderbolts* helped the MCU get over the dry spell with the critics' verdict. It earned a glowing 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with people praising Jake Schreier's direction, character-driven storytelling, and Florence's impressive performance. The Fantastic Four: First Steps joins this list as a positively received MCU project.

The film, directed by Matt Shakman, has earned a resounding 89% Tomatometer score so far, based on 256 reviews. The critics' consensus on the website reads:

"Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel's First Family justice."

Casual moviegoers agree with the critics on this note. They have rated it positively, taking its Popcornmeter rating to receive a whopping 92% score. Their overall consensus reads,

"The Fantastic Four takes the world by Storm, Thing, Reed, Johnny, and baby, forging a new path for this bespoke family that, with these First Steps, leaps into cosmic action with retro-futuristic verve."

Kyle Smith from the Wall Street Journal praised it, saying,

"In getting back to basics, 'First Steps' proves to be easily the best superhero movie of the year."

Brandon Yu from the New York Times wrote,

"These are the first steps for a refreshingly new direction for Marvel, even if they’re imperfect ones."

More details about The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Pedro Pascal puts on the blue suit for MCU's The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Marvel's new Mr. Fantastic. He is joined by Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as The Human Torch. You can meet them at the nearest screens at the cinema.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has now been released in theaters.