Flame on! Marvel’s First Family is setting the global box office ablaze, rocketing to a, well, fantastic debut. The Fantastic Four: First Steps has grossed S$218 million worldwide, including US$118 million domestically, to compete head-on with 2025’s Superman, which opened to US$95 million in North America.
While the latter performed better overseas (US$122 million versus US$100 million), it’s still a remarkable feat for Matt Shakman’s reimagining of a beloved superhero tale that was never hugely successful on the big screen, unlike its Man of Steel counterpart. What’s similar between the two is the high expectations riding on them — where Superman serves to kick off the rebooted DC Universe, Marvel Studios’ latest is a much-needed victory for parent company Disney, as it enters the first stage of Phase Six after multiple rough showings.
The biggest winners, though, are comic book fans. In addition to the impressive opening of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Superman is now considered a success for DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery with a worldwide haul of over S$500 million in its third outing. It comes in at second place domestically, despite losing IMAX screens to Marvel’s foursome.
Directed by Shakman of WandaVision fame, the 37th title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm / The Thing, and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things 4) as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, against a retro-futuristic backdrop of an alternate universe known as Earth-828.
Unlike the previous duology by 20th Century Fox and Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot, it forgoes the titular quartet’s origin stories and picks up four years after they have become superheroes. They soon find themselves returning to space after the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner, Ozark) visits Earth and warns of the arrival of a cosmic entity named Galactus, who is set to destroy the planet.
Superhero adventures aren’t the only ones enjoying success, however. Apple and Warner Bros.’ F1: The Movie, helmed by Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt in the lead role, has zoomed past US$500 million globally in its fifth lap around the track. Similarly, Jurassic World Rebirth is still holding its own with US$718 million globally, becoming one of the three Hollywood releases of 2025 to surpass US$700 million.
The top five box office earnings for the domestic market (25 to 27 July) are as summarised:
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney): US$118 million; opening week
- Superman (Warner Bros.): US$24.8 million; third weekend
- Jurassic World Rebirth (Universal): US$13 million; fourth weekend
- F1: The Movie (Warner Bros.): S$6.2 million; fifth weekend
- Smurfs (Paramount): US$5.4 million; second weekend
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Joyce Ong
