First Steps Crowned as MCU's Highest-Grossing 2025 Movie

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has passed a box office milestone that has the movie taking the top position for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a key metric. The MCU’s 2025 movies have now all been released, with the reboot of the Fantastic Four coming after Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, both of which underperformed at the box office.

While The Fantastic Four: First Steps has become the highest-grossing entry in the Fantastic Four franchise, that is not saying much, as the previous live-action adaptations of the team did not post impressive box office numbers. 2025 also marks the first year since 2008 that a DC movie will gross more than an MCU film. However, there is a saving grace.

According to The Numbers, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has become the highest-grossing MCU movie of 2025. The MCU Fantastic Four reboot is at $434.2 million worldwide at the time of writing. That is more than both of Marvel’s other releases, as Captain America: Brave New World stands at $413.6 million, while Thunderbolts* had a lower total of $382.4 million.

What The Fantastic Four: First Steps Becoming The MCU’s Highest -Grossing 2025 Movie Means

All 2025 MCU movies might have underperformed, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps growing to become Marvel Studios’ highest-grossing movie of 2025 is a hopeful note for the studio to end its theatrical releases on. With the Fantastic Four movie’s reported budget at the $200 million mark, the MCU movie needed to at least enter the $400-$500 million range.

2025 MCU Movies’ Box Office Totals
Captain America: Brave New World	$413,640,021
Thunderbolts*	$382,436,365
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – still in theaters	$434,212,709

Based on its budget, that is The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ target to break even. With its current total of $434.2 million, the MCU movie should be able to clear that mark, though its box office legs are not as strong as expected, which means doing much more than the higher end of the projection is unlikely.

Given that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom debuted in The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ mid-credits scene, the team, which is confirmed for the next two Avengers movies, should play a major role in Avengers: Doomsday. As such, The Fantastic Four: First Steps owning the biggest box office for an MCU movie in 2025 works well for Marvel’s plans for the team.

Our Take On The Fantastic Four: First Steps Becoming The MCU’s Highest -Grossing 2025 Movie

Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards looks directly at the camera in a Time Magazine mock-up cover from The Fantastic Four First Steps

As can be shown by the movies’ reviews, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps were the MCU’s best movies of 2025, with Captain America: Brave New World being more divisive. To that end, the MCU reboot of Marvel’s First Family taking the box office crown for the year makes up for Thunderbolts*‘s box office being disappointing.

When it comes to just Fantastic Four’s performance isolated, the MCU movie had the hard task of revitalizing a franchise for the Marvel Studios universe. With positive reviews and a decent box office run, Marvel is succeeding in launching a new franchise. The Fantastic Four could be built over in the next two Avengers movies to increase a sequel’s box office chances.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

7/10

Release Date: July 25, 2025
Runtime: 115 minutes
Director: Matt Shakman
Writers: Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Kat Wood, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee