Marvel Movie Opens to $124 Million

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is off on the right foot at the box office.

Marvel‘s latest comic book adaptation has lifted off with $118 million from 4,125 North American theaters over the weekend. Those ticket sales were slightly ahead of expectations of $100 million to $110 million.

“Fantastic Four,” a retro-futuristic adventure starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, collected another $100 million at the international box office for a global total of $218 million. Directed by Matt Shakman, “Fantastic Four” follows the foursome of Mister Fantastic (Pascal), Invisible Woman (Kirby), The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) and Human Torch (Quinn) as they protect their world from a planet-devouring cosmic being. 

Based on initial turnout, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is shaping up to be a needed win for Marvel Studios. The comic book empire, which has become Hollywood’s most reliable hit maker, has greatly struggled with commercial consistency over the past five years. The company has succeeded in post-pandemic times with entries led by familiar faces such as “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” But attempts to put the spotlight on newer characters were major financial missteps. This May’s well-reviewed “Thunderbolts,” for example, ended its theatrical run with $382 million and stands as one of the lowest-grossing installments in Marvel’s 37-film franchise.

“The Fantastic Four” needs to keep up the momentum to avoid the fate of other recent Marvel movies like February’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($100 million debut over four days) and 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” ($106 million) which collapsed after strong starts. However, those films were poorly reviewed. “First Steps” has the benefit of positive word-of-mouth, including an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes…