Summary
The Rotten Tomatoes score forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas been revealed. Marvel’s first family is making theirMCUdebut amid a shaky time in the massive franchise, which has seen critical success with movies likeThunderbolts*, which didn’t net the returns they wanted, and overall underwhelming entries, likeCaptain America: Brave New World. While the movie needs to establish the characters in the MCU, the franchise also needs a hit.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsisdirected by Matt Shakman, who broughtWandaVisionto life for the MCU, kicking off their slate of live-action Disney+ content. The superhero film also features a star-studded cast, with Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Eban Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn playing the titular characters. The other cast includes Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, and Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man, among many others. Marvel has been hyping the release of the newFantastic Fourmovie, and with so many fans disappointed in prior outings with the characters, expectations are high.
According to the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The Fantastic Four: First Stepscurrently holds an 87% Fresh rating from 119 critics' reviews, at the time of writing. Audience reception remains to be seen, but the reviews align with early word of mouth, promising a solid start for Marvel’s first family. The scoresurpasses the MCU’s early 2025 release,Captain America: Brave New World, and aligns closelywithThunderbolts*. The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus reads:
Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack atThe Fantastic Fourdoes Marvel’s First Family justice.
The Fantastic Four: First StepsHas The Praise, Now It Needs The Box Office Numbers
Will It TopSuperman?
Now thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas the reviews, Marvel will be hoping it can top the numbers put up by its earlier 2025 films, which have begun to highlight potential superhero fatigue from oversaturation. The box office is also currently overloaded with heavy hitters,includingJurassic World Rebirth, which continues to impress, and fellow superhero film,Superman, which continues to have audiences talking, but will be heading into its third weekend alongside the MCU release.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas set a record for characters in film, posting the highest Rotten Tomatoes score among their releases. The 2005 outing with Jessica Alba and Chris Evans earned a 27%, and the sequel,Rise of the Silver Surfer, didn’t fare much better with a 37%. Most egregious of all may be the maligned 2015 release, which comes with numerous behind-the-scenes woes, failing spectacularly with a 9% despite the star power of Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. WhileThe Fantastic Four: First Stepssits high above the rest, it may face challenges beyond its control due to thestruggles of the MCU. However, thanks to an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Marvel heroes are off to a stellar beginning.
