Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps may have launched to much fanfare, but its momentum has waned significantly in its second weekend. According to current box office projections, the film is poised to earn approximately 42 million dollars over the weekend, representing a sharp 64 percent drop from its debut. Friday grosses came in at an estimated 11.7 million dollars, which, while strong in isolation, underscores the film’s frontloaded performance and the likelihood that it will struggle to reach the 300 million dollar milestone domestically.
While still holding the number one spot at the U.S. box office, Fantastic Four is showing signs of a rapid decline. The film’s ten-day total is expected to surpass 200 million dollars by Monday, putting it ahead of Captain America: Brave New World to become the highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) release of the year so far. However, its performance is falling behind several comparables. For context, its second Friday reflects a nearly 80 percent drop from opening day, significantly higher than the declines seen with Spider-Man: Far From Home or even Thor: Love and Thunder.
On the other hand, DC’s Superman continues to show strong endurance. Now in its fourth weekend, the film added roughly 3.95 million dollars on Friday and is heading toward a 14 million dollar three-day total. This marks a comparatively gentle 44 percent weekend drop. The superhero reboot, fueled by favorable fan reception and repeated viewings, has now amassed over 306 million dollars at the domestic box office. By Tuesday, it is expected to surpass Jurassic World Rebirth to become the third highest-grossing film of 2025 in the U.S.
Although Fantastic Four recorded the fifth highest second Friday of the year—only behind Minecraft: The Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, and Sinners—it also posted one of the steepest Friday-to-Friday declines. That level of frontloading indicates that despite an initially enthusiastic audience response, sustained momentum is proving elusive.
This underperformance is especially striking given that Fantastic Four: First Steps marked a stylistic reinvention of the franchise. Directed by Matt Shakman and set in an alternate 1960s timeline, the film introduced a new ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Julia Garner, with Ralph Ineson portraying the cosmic villain Galactus. The film received an A- CinemaScore, the highest for any Fantastic Four film to date, and critics have largely praised its bold creative direction.
Nevertheless, positive word-of-mouth appears insufficient to offset a marketing campaign that front-loaded expectations. In comparison, Superman is demonstrating stronger legs, benefiting from steady audience engagement and more modest week-to-week drops. The DC release is also notable for ranking as the seventh biggest fourth Friday in the history of DC films.
Given these trajectories, industry observers now consider it increasingly likely that Superman will finish ahead of Fantastic Four by a margin of at least 50 to 60 million dollars domestically. Unless it stages a remarkable turnaround, Fantastic Four will need to rely heavily on international markets. However, even there, its performance is not satisfactory.
