Despite its positive reception and high Rotten Tomatoes rating, Fantastic Four: First Steps experienced a significant decline in its earnings during the second weekend at the worldwide box office.
In the world of superhero films, both Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps and DC's Superman (2025, directed by James Gunn) have faced the challenges of audience weariness, commonly known as superhero fatigue.
Superman (2025) debuted with a domestic opening weekend of $125 million, crossing the $400 million global mark within two weeks. However, its international box office contribution was lower than other recent superhero films, accounting for only about 42.2% of the total. This relative weakness in global reception could be linked to superhero fatigue and mixed brand perception after several recent DC flops [1].
Fantastic Four: First Steps, another release from the 2025 superhero slate, is also grappling with uncertain box office performance. The film's global earnings, currently at $386 million, are lower than some other Marvel films [4]. The movie saw a 66% drop in its second weekend, earning $40 million from 4,125 theaters, suggesting potential superhero fatigue among audiences [3].
Interestingly, neither film is expected to hit the $1 billion worldwide benchmark, a stark contrast to earlier superhero market norms [2][3][5]. This trend underscores the impact of superhero fatigue globally, with neither movie replicating the massive international box office dominance seen in previous years.
The lower global earnings for Superman might be attributed to the character not being as widely recognized worldwide as in America, according to director James Gunn [6].
On the other hand, Fantastic Four: First Steps is still in theaters, with ongoing runs and speculation that it might fall short of blockbuster expectations. The film's performance is indicative of the current trend where no superhero movie in 2025 is expected to reach the heights of previous years.
In response to this trend, studios are reportedly focusing on more modest budgets and less overload of superhero content in the coming years to sustain audience interest [3].
For those interested, you can find our guide to the post-credits scenes or our review of Fantastic Four: First Steps for a full verdict.
References
- Superhero fatigue: Is the genre's dominance starting to wane?
- Box Office: 'Fantastic Four' Flops, 'The Marvels' Falls Short in Superhero Summer
- Superhero Fatigue in 2025: A New Era for the Genre
- Fantastic Four: First Steps Box Office: A Look at the Numbers
- The Marvels: Lowest-Grossing Marvel Movie of All Time
- James Gunn Explains Lower Global Box Office Returns for Superman
- The international box office contribution for Superman (2025) was lower than other recent superhero films, suggesting a potential impact of superhero fatigue and mixed brand perception.
- Both Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps and DC's Superman (2025) have faced the challenges of audience weariness and lower box office performance, indicating a possible trend of superhero fatigue.
- In an attempt to sustain audience interest, studios are reportedly focusing on more modest budgets and less overload of superhero content in the coming years.
- Games, movies, and entertainment enthusiasts might find our reviews and post-credits scene guides helpful in deciding which superhero films to watch, considering the current trends in the superhero genre.
