The chances of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” reaching the prestigious $1 billion milestone have grown following an exhilarating box office announcement. As a devoted admirer of Marvel’s First Family, encompassing the Fantastic Four tales from Marvel Comics and the team portrayed in the 2000s live-action films, starring Chris Evans as the Human Torch, I find it noteworthy that, in recent times, the MCU has struggled to maintain its box office success compared to the franchise’s past glory days during the Infinity Saga.
Several aspects play a role in this situation, including overcrowding, growing exhaustion with superheroes, shorter release windows on streaming platforms, unfavorable critiques, and more. However, it’s worth noting that 2024 was a successful year for the franchise, as the R-rated “Deadpool & Wolverine” concluded its worldwide run by earning $1.3 billion (according to Box Office Mojo). This project became the latest Marvel production to surpass this milestone, but unfortunately, the box office performance of the 2025 movies – Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts – has not been particularly promising so far. Despite this, the storyline for The Fantastic Four: First Steps presents one of Marvel’s most significant teams, and its chances of earning $1 billion seem quite favorable.
The MCU Fantastic Four Movie’s Pre-Sales Have Reached An Impressive Mark
Marvel’s First Family Is Already Breaking Records Before Debuting In The MCU
Initially, the MCU’s 2025 films had a rocky beginning at the box office, even the unexpected New Avengers reveal in Thunderbolts didn’t help boost ticket sales. This left me apprehensive about how The Fantastic Four: First Steps would fare. However, a recent box office update has alleviated my concerns as it appears that this MCU movie is primed for success. As per Fandango on Instagram, The Fantastic Four: First Steps shattered a significant 2025 record by garnering more pre-sales on its first day than any other film released so far in 2025.
Although James Gunn’s upcoming “Superman” movie hasn’t begun ticket pre-sales yet, slated to start on June 11, the latest box office update for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is generating a lot of excitement. This development appears to set the stage for a successful worldwide release. Marvel has been strategically building up to this moment with events like the live release of the “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” trailer and other tactics that have significantly increased interest in the film, and it looks like their efforts are paying off.
Why The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Pre-Sales Make $1 Billion More Likely
The MCU Movie Is Tracking Above Two Heavy Hitters
Indeed, it seems reasonable to expect that strong pre-sales for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will lead to a robust box office performance. However, one might ponder how they could boost the likelihood of hitting the $1 billion mark. My optimism in this Marvel Cinematic Universe film surpassing $1 billion at the box office stems from examining the significance of the Fantastic Four reboot’s pre-sales record relative to the films released in 2025 thus far. Although there are still some blockbusters on the horizon, the year has already witnessed two major releases.
In 2025, the blockbuster films are predicted to be a Minecraft Movie and Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch. The Minecraft Movie has accumulated an impressive $951.4 million globally, nearly reaching the $1 billion milestone. Although the Minecraft Movie might not quite make it to that mark, Lilo & Stitch is expected to surpass it, currently sitting at $772.5 million. Box office analyst Luiz Fernando has suggested on Twitter that Lilo & Stitch will earn over $1 billion. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with strong pre-sales, could also potentially match or exceed these totals.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four Can Finally Do What Past Iterations Couldn’t
The Marvel Team Needs To Have A Resounding Win At The Box Office
As a devoted cinephile, I’m thrilled about the promising outlook for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” If this MCU film manages to hit the big screen, it might just propel the superhero franchise over the $1 billion mark at the box office – a feat that Marvel’s First Family has yet to achieve. In fact, every previous Fantastic Four movie fell short of even approaching this milestone. The team’s initial cinematic debut was the 2005 release, “Fantastic Four,” which starred Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. This film, our first live-action introduction to the team, grossed a modest $167.8 million, making it the lowest-grossing Fantastic Four movie to date.
| Every Released Fantastic Four Movie | |
|---|---|
| Movie | Box Office |
| Fantastic Four | $167.8 million |
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | $289.5 million |
| Fantastic Four (2015) | $333.1 million |
In my humble opinion as a cinephile, I recently found myself watching director Tim Story’s sequel to the Fantastic Four saga, titled Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. This blockbuster, along with the Silver Surfer and, in essence, Galactus, concluded its worldwide journey with a total take of $289.5 million.
Though it showed a modest improvement from the original Fantastic Four film, it’s undeniable that this series has yet to reach the heights that modern superhero movies have scaled at the box office over the past decade. However, one might find it intriguing that despite being one of the most maligned movies in its genre, director Josh Trank’s 2015 Fantastic Four reboot boasts the highest box office earnings for the franchise to date.
As a devoted cinephile, I must admit that the box office performance of the Fantastic Four movie, starring Miles Teller as Reed Richards and Michael B. Jordan, fell short when it comes to measuring success within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Although their budgets were around $87.5-120 million, making most of them profitable, none can be considered a genuine hit for the MCU thus far. But who knows? The upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps might just change that narrative if its 2025 pre-sales continue to break records, potentially reaching the billion-dollar mark.
How Marvel Studios’ Next 4 Movies Could Make Up For The MCU’s Recent Box Office Issues
The Franchise Is Set To Release Multiple Huge Entries
Given the recent positive news about the box office performance of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” I’m confident that this film could kick off a series of four movies that may help refocus the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The reintroduction of the Fantastic Four team in the franchise promises significant roles for these characters in the upcoming two Avengers films. Subsequently, Marvel and Sony are set to release “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” featuring Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The MCU’s Spider-Man series is one of its most successful, with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” coming very close to grossing $2 billion.
In the continuation of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s thrilling film series, there are two forthcoming Avengers installments titled “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars.” This marks the team’s return to action since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Featuring heroes from various MCU realms and the multiverse, it has been confirmed that the original X-Men from Fox will appear in “Avengers: Doomsday.” With such a lineup, these upcoming Avengers movies are expected to gross at least $1 billion globally. The future of the MCU appears promising as it gears up for a string of box office successes following some controversial releases. I am optimistic that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will serve as this pivotal shift.
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2025-06-11 00:11