Marvel’s scores big with The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Thursday box office bringing in $23 million, which bests the direct competition, James Gunn’s Superman with $22.5M.
As a result of the high preview night, it’s now expected the box office weekend will open larger, which is currently estimated at $100M-$110M.
Gunn’s Superman opened better than expected at $125M and is at $259.8M domestic as of Wednesday, with $432.9M worldwide.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Thursday previews are also double that of Thunderbolts, which ended up opening to $74.3M. It’s also nearly double that of Captain America: Brave New World‘s Thursday preview night, which ended up with a $88.8M opening. It’s also better than The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and Quantumania.
Thursday box office comparisons:
- Superman: $22.5M
- Thunderbolts: $11.5M
- Captain America: Brave New World: $12 million
- Deadpool & Wolverine: $38.5 million
- The Marvels: $6.6M
- Guardians of the Galaxy 3: $17.5 million
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: $17.5 million

First fan reactions are in
The Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score is also now available, which is at 92%, but bear in mind it’s front-loaded with the MCU fanboys who tend to like everything Feige throws at them, so it could change as the weekend progresses.
The critic score has basically remained the same, around that 88% mark. I saw the movie on Thursday, and I liked it. I think it turned out better than most fans expected. You can read my review here.
Deadline first reported on the FF Thursday box office.

Release info
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing—as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Directed by Matt Shakman and produced by Kevin Feige, the film features executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis, with Mitch Bell serving as co-producer.
The cast includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. The score is composed by Michael Giacchino.