First Steps ’ second-week ticket sales called it a cratering, and noted that its week-to-week drop was akin to similar stumbles for past Marvel pariahs Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder.

First Steps is far from a bomb, but its box office performance does raise questions about how Marvel Studios should proceed going forward.

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps estimated for a difficult 66-percent box office drop from its respectable opening weekend of $118 million domestic, the comic book movie giant has watched its 2025 strategy lose some of the core audience that cemented the MCU as appointment viewing for years... the average moviegoers.