THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Early Box Office Forecast Predicts $125M - $136M+ Debut

We're over six weeks away from the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, so while box office tracking is still a ways off, BoxOfficeTheory.com has shared their early forecast for the MCU reboot's opening weekend.

Based on factors such as ticket pre-sales, trailer views/reactions, Marvel's previous late summer openers and the competition the movie will face when it hits theaters, the site is predicting a domestic debut of between $125 million and $136 million.

"At the risk of understating, a release two weeks after Superman (July 11) will be incredibly interesting to follow," they write. "In an era when many audiences have become more selective about which comic book films get them into cinemas, the year’s two biggest properties from that realm will aim to coexist in the lucrative late summer corridor. Either way, die hard fans will show up for both."

This would be a great start for the movie, and a much stronger opening than Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* ($76M) and Captain America: Brave New World ($100M), while not troubling the mighty Deadpool and Wolverine ($211M).

Again, it's very early for an accurate estimate, but the site has a pretty solid track record of getting fairly close with their predictions.

Whether First Steps will prove to be the massive hit Marvel Studios really needs it to be obviously remains to be seen. Reactions from a recent test-screening weren't the most positive, but all that really matters is how audiences respond when the movie arrives next month.

First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, Freaky Tales) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.

Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich are also on board in undisclosed roles.

"Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."

Matt Shakman directs The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.