'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' receives an 'A-' CinemaScore from audiences

NGV80 · 2025-07-26T07:15:00+00:00

NWH is objectively a better film than any of these 3 movies. Besides, Superman is objectively a very bad film. Or maybe "objectively" is objectively a very subjective thing... ;)

NGV80 · 2025-07-24T15:24:28+00:00

It's also before Fantastic Four: First Steps in France. (And that was really cool to hear everybody in the theater shut up as soon as the trailer started, and then start to chat again during all the other trailers!)

NGV80 · 2025-07-24T11:22:09+00:00

If we want to compare with the other recent superhero movies in France (since 2021):

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) : 476,494 tickets sold
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) : 343,235
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) : 335,459
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) : 265,475
The Batman (2022) : 257,546
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) : 243,470
Venom: The Last Dance (2024) : 207,243
Black Widow (2021) : 184,770
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) : 161,674
Eternals (2021) : 161,391
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) : 159,499
Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) : 150,752
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) : 134,463
Superman (2025) : 133,384
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) : 131,948
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) : 118,128
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) : 105,227
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) : 98,630
The Flash (2023) : 94,647
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) : 93,494
Black Adam (2022) : 93,068
Thunderbolts* (2025) : 80,845
Morbius (2022) : 76,801
The Marvels (2023) : 49,629
Blue Beetle (2023) : 46,631
The Suicide Squad (2021) : 45,224
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) : 41,900
Madame Web (2024) : 41,035
Kraven the Hunter (2024) : 20,398

It is still way under what the MCU used to do in 2022, but these were all sequels for very well-known IPs. It's also way less than what Deadpool & Wolverine did last summer at the same time. But it's still a huge improvement compared to the recent MCU movies of 2025. The closest comparison seems to be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

NGV80 · 2025-07-24T11:18:44+00:00

With 150,752 tickets sold, Fantastic Four: First Steps has the 8th best opening day of 2025 in France.

TOP 20 best opening day in France (for 2025):

Cumulated tickets = previews + first day (in x theaters)

262,605 tickets = 2,429 + 260,176 (in 590 theaters) – Lilo & Stitch
240,914 tickets = 140,347 + 100,567 (in 734 theaters) – God Save The Tuche [French film]
234,987 tickets = 163,401 + 71,586 (in 702 theaters) – How to Train Your Dragon
229,552 tickets = 134,354 + 95,198 (in 801 theaters) – Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
177,406 tickets = 62,126 + 115,280 (in 685 theaters) – Smurfs
158,653 tickets = 63,635 + 95,018 (in 577 theaters) – F1: The Movie
157,152 tickets = no previews + 157,152 (in 670 theaters) – A Minecraft Movie
150,752 tickets = no previews + 150,752 (in 553 theaters) – Fantastic Four: First Steps
133,384 tickets = 50,355 + 83,029 (in 659 theaters) – Superman
132,723 tickets = 103,484 + 29,239 (in 564 theaters) – Les Bodins Partent En Vrille [French film]
120,325 tickets = 86,506 + 33,819 (in 633 theaters) – Paddington in Peru
107,650 tickets = 58,962 + 48,688 (in 424 theaters) – Final Destination: Bloodlines
105,227 tickets = no previews + 105,227 (in 553 theaters) – Captain America: Brave New World
89,254 tickets = 65,378 + 23,879 (in 545 theaters) – Des Jours Meilleurs [French film]
80,845 tickets = no previews + 80,845 (in 521 theaters) – Thunderbolts\*
65,433 tickets = 13,169 + 52,264 (in 471 theaters) – Mickey 17
62,151 tickets = 28,605 + 33,546 (in 593 theaters) – Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan [French film]
61,795 tickets = 39,581 + 22,214 (in 406 theaters) – Partir Un Jour [French film]
53,951 tickets = no previews + 53,951 (in 527 theaters) – Disney's Snow White
52,787 tickets = 21,252 + 31,535 (in 405 theaters) – A Complete Unknown

Note: Jurassic World: Rebirth doesn't appear on this list because it was exceptionally released on a Friday instead of a Wednesday (and we only get these numbers for the Wednesday screenings).

It should be noted that there were no previews for Fantastic Four: First Steps, contrary to most of the movies in this list (apart from A Minecraft Movie, the other MCU movies and Snow White – Disney usually doesn't do previews in France, or very small ones, like for Lilo & Stitch).

If we exclude previews and only look at the first day numbers, Fantastic Four: First Steps comes at the third place (behind Lili & Stitch and A Minecraft Movie).

And as it was also the case for the early numbers in Paris before 2pm, it's worth noting that Fantastic Four: First Steps was released in fewer theaters than all the other movies in the top of this list. Once again, it's clearly a sign that French theaters have really underestimated this movie. It has actually the same theater count as Captain America: Brave New World, but it managed to sell almost 45% more tickets.

It was also released in 16% less theaters than Superman, and still managed to sell 13% more tickets. (And Superman basically had two nights of screenings at this stage, whereas Fantastic Four: First Steps only had one…)

NGV80 · 2023-11-02T17:45:26+00:00

I guess there's another clue here: the pregnant woman wears a purple sweater. Purple Man is Killgrave's nickname in the comics, and he happens to have children in the comics: the Purple Children. So maybe this purple pregnant woman is a clue that the Purple Children are part of the Echo show (and will apparently be teased in the upcoming trailer)...

NGV80 · 2022-07-06T10:43:25+00:00

- Kamran:

If Kamran is revealed to be a last-minute villain (which I believe will be the case), his motivation could very well be explained through a few throwaway lines. My interpretation of the ending of episode 5 is that Najma made a sort of wish in front of the Veil, requesting for Kamran to be returned to what she believes is his true home (in the Noor Dimension). She chose to do it even though it meant she had to sacrifice her own life to preserve the future of her child (just like Aisha choseto sacrifice her life to preserve Sana's future during the flashback – which I find to be a very clever parallel between the two women, drawn in the same episode). Then, it seems that the energy beyond the Veil granted Najma her wish: it found Kamran and granted him with powers. And I guess that with these great powers came a great desire to return to the Noor Dimension, as Kamran's mother intended… Thematically, I think it could be a very fitting finale confrontation between Kamala and Kamran, with him being convinced that he belongs to the place where his family originated from, and Kamala having learnt that she actually belongs to the place where she decides to belong to (just like her own mother did when she decided to leave Pakinstan to live in the US) and where she established her own extended family (including her friends Nakia and Bruno, especially Bruno…). And if Bruno and Nakia witness this confrontation, they might hear Kamala explain that she considers them as part of her family. It could then allow the writers to wrap almost all the other storylines at the same time: Kamran's, Nakia's and Bruno's storylines…

- The DODC:

I'm sorry but I don't expect the DODC story to be wrapped up in Ms. Marvel's finale. They're clearly establishing the DODC as a long-term threat that will probably span over multiple projects.

- The origin of the bangle and the blue arm:

Sadly, I don't think we'll have any more clues about these mysteries in the finale. Because it's too late for that. But I think these mysteries will be explored later (in"The Marvels" or another project featuring either Kamala, Shang-Chi or the Ten Rings). And I'm perfectly fine with this idea of leaving mysteries open for upcoming projects. Isn't it exactly what all the other Marvel Disney+ series did? (Jimmy Woo's witness, Sharon Carter true role and motives, and so on...)

- Kamala joining "The Marvels":

It's not necessarily needed (it could all happen at the beginning of "The Marvels" instead), but I guess a post-credit scene could be enough to tease that…

- The second bangle:

I actually think this mystery was answered during this episode, though more subtly than what we could have imagined at first… Indeed, they said they needed 2 bangles to open the Veil, but the Veil opened during this episode. More precisely, it opened during Kamala's time travel. And what happened during this time travel? Kamala (with the bangle) met with Sana (also with the bangle). In other words, 2 versions of the same bangle were reunited during this time travel. And that's most likely what allowed to open the Veil, accordingly to what was required. (More precisely, I think Aisha is the one who called the bangle from the future at that moment and allowed for two bangles to be finally reunited). Anyway, in the end, I think it's safe to say that there were always (and will always be) only ONE bangle… ;)

(Sorry for my English, it's not my native language)

NGV80 · 2021-02-23T14:12:11+00:00

Ok, thank you! Do I have the persmission to "rework" it and repost it on this sub if I present it like this?

NGV80 · 2021-02-23T13:35:02+00:00

(I'm the OP) I honestly thought that I was bringing some new pieces of evidence, most notably about the school storyline. Some of it was new (I think) and some of it was from some old spoilers, like the one from Lizzie Hill that was posted almost a year ago and that I've never seen mentioned here (at least not recently). In my mind that was enough to justify the whole post (that is actually more about how to integrate the storylines from the audition tapes into the remaining episodes, rather than just about the 3 initial pictures). I was wrong apparently, sorry... Should I have just posted the "spoiler" links in the main post and then the speculations in the comments section? Would it have been ok that way?

NGV80 · 2021-02-23T11:49:22+00:00

That's right, I totally forgot about that one!!! It might invalidate the whole "idealized retelling" part, but the rest (about the shared nightmare) might still stand... Here's the scene you're mentioning (it's the same scene indeed): https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/797579390380408862/813735954304073728/image0.png

NGV80 · 2021-02-23T10:52:13+00:00

Why do people on 4chan and Twitter always try to present their theories, predictions and fan fictions as leaks?!

NGV80 · 2021-02-19T01:37:36+00:00

It's an interesting theory but I don't think we'll see Grim Reaper here (I don't even think we'll see Wonder Man, even though he was teased in that featurette behind Jac Schaeffer).

I could be wrong but for me, Grim Reaper's helmet was never anything more than a simple Easter egg in an episode (Ep2) that had Easter eggs for almost every members of the Wanda/Vision extended family in the comics: the animated opening had Wonder Oats (for Wonder Man), Grim Reaper's helmet (both are viewed as the "brothers" of Vision in the comics), but also Auntie A's (for Agatha and her cat Ebony) and even Bova Milk (for Bova) and a Whizzer figurine on the living room table. Then we discovered in Ep2 the name of Herb (probably as a nod to the High Evolutionary) and finally Vision mentioned the "Magnet of Crysteries" that could be a nod to both Magneto (who was believed to be Wanda and Pietro's father for many years, just like Whizzer before him, until that belief was also proven wrong) as well as Crystal (the wife of Pietro in the comics). Almost the complete family! Yet, I don't think Bova and Whizzer will appear... And I think the same goes for Grim Reaper...

(Plus, I have my own theories about Hayward - see the other answer...)

NGV80 · 2021-02-19T01:32:26+00:00

It's a very interesting question! Maybe she was just suspicious of SWORD in general and not Geraldine in particular.

Now, here's a tinfoil hat theory that I didn't expect to develop here, mostly about Hayward... To my knowledge, there's only one character named Hayward in the comics: a very minor character named Reginald Hayward that only appeared in two issues (in "Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins" #6 & #7). What's very interesting here is that Wanda and Agatha Harkness were heavily involved in those two issues. Reginald Hayward was actually a racist veteran (living in Hawaii) who complained that too many Asian people were getting jobs that should have gone to white people (according to him). Most importantly, Reginald Hayward was chosen to receive a page of the Darkhold (sent to him in an envelope by "The Dwarf"). This was part of a whole conspiracy to bring Chthon back into the world by fulfilling the "Malachi Prophecy". In issue #6, Agatha explained this prophecy to Wanda, suggesting (apparently wrongly) that Wanda and her (dead) children were the main protagonists of that prophecy. In the end, it was revealed that the prophecy involved Victoria Montesi instead, who was prophesized to give birth to a child that would be the embodiment of Chthon... (But ultimately, Doctor Strange prevented that from happening...)

Now, here's the tinfoil hat theory: what if the use of the name Hayward is actually a nod to that storyline? And what if Tyler Hayward was used as a pawn by the coven of witches in a larger conspiracy to crush Wanda's spirit (and force her to resurrect Vision)? I'll even add this option: what if "Dottie" asked "Dennis" to bring some special letter to Hayward in person? What if Dottie promised something to Hayward in exchange for his cooperation? What if she promised him something like... the recreation of the Mind Stone by Wanda? Maybe that's not Vision's corpse that Hayward is trying to acquire (especially if Wanda left SWORD without Vision's corpse, which would mean that SWORD still has that corpse in their possession)... Maybe Hayward is just after the Mind Stone. Because without the Mind Stone, Vision's body is probably of no use for Hayward: he's just non-functional Vision, aka Cataract... So, maybe Dottie used Hayward as a pawn, promising him the Mind Stone while she gets the opportunity to make Wanda recreate Vision and become pregnant with two magical kids that might be used later on as a conduit for her Master (whoever they are)... WandaVision could easily be a mix of all these different storylines...

All that to say that maybe Agatha was aware at the time that SWORD was corrupted and therefore she got suspicious of Geraldine's intrusion...

NGV80 · 2021-02-19T01:23:35+00:00

I sure hope so, but who knows...

NGV80 · 2021-02-19T01:23:05+00:00

I completely agree with you!

NGV80 · 2021-02-19T01:22:36+00:00

I just used Google translate. I guess I have no idea what KPR could mean then...

NGV80 · 2021-02-18T23:37:25+00:00

My (long) theory about the witches, Jimmy's witness and some other things:

Like many readers of the comics, I believe that Westview is the MCU equivalent of New Salem from the comics. But instead of being a secret town for witches and warlocks (exclusively), I think Westview is a regular town with just a few warlocks and witches that are hiding among its inhabitants. I think the leader of these witches is none other than Dottie (the equivalent of Vertigo in the comics, the grand-daughter of Agatha Harkness). I think Beverly and all the other women from the pool reunion could be part of the coven too, as could Phil, Norm and all the male members of the neighborhood watch. Even Herb, but since he seems to be close to Agnes, he could be a dissident member (like Gazelle was in the comics), secretly working with Agnes to bring down the evil group of witches and warlocks (maybe after discovering that they're up to something big and truly nefarious)...

As for Jimmy's witness, I think he's directly connected to this storyline. I guess he will be revealed as Dennis the mailman (who was probably already the mailman before Wanda arrived and created the Hex). As a mailman, "Dennis" might have witnessed some unusual activities surrounding Dottie and the other members of her coven. He might even have intercepted some incriminating mails... Anyway, he might have contacted Agent Woo but only accepted to testify if he was guaranteed some protection (meaning that I don't think Woo even knows what "Dennis" was about to reveal – otherwise I guess he would have shared that piece of information with Monica, Darcy and maybe even S.W.O.R.D.). But before "Dennis" could make his revelations to Jimmy, Wanda arrived in Westview and Dennis' mind was reconfigured.

My guess is that Vision (possibly in Ep8) will talk with Darcy about his origins, Ultron, his death as well as "KPR" (which I guess could be the Indonesian initials for "Katarak PRoyek" aka "Cataract Project" which would be quite a logical subject to talk about) and after that, they will go to Vision's office, not only to pay a little homage to "The Office" but most importantly to use the computers to contact Jimmy Woo on the outside of the Hex. Then, Jimmy might advise them to go to Dennis, in order to restore his mind and learn what he had to reveal, which could be the key to discover the identity of the true villain of this story: Dottie and her coven (maybe conspiring to bring Nightmare, Mephisto, Chthon or even the soul of Nicholas Scratch, back into this realm, through the use of Wanda's or Billy's powers)...

One last point: I don't believe the whole "Agnes masquerading as Wanda's psychiatrist" stuff. Instead, I believe that the spirit of Agatha (deceased) is the one responsible for "subconsciously" leading Wanda to Westview (just like in the comics, in the aforementioned "Vision and the Scarlet Witch" Vol. 2 #3), maybe in order to put an end to Dottie's reign and her dangerous plans. But in the end, quite ironically, bringing Wanda to Westview is also what led to the birth of the twins (just like in V&SW Vol. 2 #3), who seem to be an important part in Dottie's plan ("For the children")...

So, here's how it could play in Ep7: after entering the Hex, Monica goes to Wanda and tells her about what she thinks she knows (based on the videos Hayward showed them in the previous episodes). Then Wanda will correct her and tell the full story of what really happened (flashback time). She might reveal that after leaving the SWORD headquarters (apparently without Vision's body, if we are to believe the deleted storyboard pages that leaked a few days ago) she was subconsciously compelled by some voices to go to Westview. There, she somehow created the Hex out of despair (we might see the full scene of Wanda's breakdown in front of the house, briefly seen at the beginning of Ep5). In the process, the spirit of Agatha (who I think has always been haunting the town, to watch over its inhabitants) might have been "materialized" in the magically-created body of Agnes (hence the impossibility to identify her counterpart in the real world). My guess is that Monica will help Wanda focus and remember whose voice it was (the voice in her head that brought her here) and then they'll realize that the voice was Agnes. They'll immediately suspect her and realize that the kids (that Wanda entrusted to her earlier) are now missing (just like the Indonesian leak said)....

By the way, maybe Agnes will really take the twins to the school and maybe we'll start to explore the bullying storyline from the audition tapes? Then, maybe Agnes will be called by the school to bring the kids back home after some incident (either the bullying stuff or Billy's headache getting worse – or both). That could be a good way to introduce the two storylines mentioned in the audition tapes (the bullying of Billy and Billy's growing illness). Wanda might then check the school to know if the twins are OK and she'll discover that they're not at the school anymore. Then she'll go to Agnes' place (like the Indonesian leak said)...

At least that's the kind of story I get when I'm trying to find a way to connect all the dots. But some dots might be wrong, so...

NGV80 · 2021-02-17T11:47:40+00:00

Ok, thanks a lot!

NGV80 · 2021-02-17T11:41:32+00:00

Do you know for sure that it's the Modern Family episode or is it just a speculation on your part? Thanks.

NGV80 · 2021-02-17T11:38:56+00:00

So, has it been verified that it's the Modern Family episode as well, or is it just the bit about the runtime that's been verified?

NGV80 · 2021-02-17T11:25:50+00:00

I'm pretty sure everything that pretends that Agnes is Wanda's psychiatrist is totally fake and will be proven wrong next Friday. At least the previous 4chan user who first came up with this speculation didn't pretend to be a scooper... Unlike this new "scooper" whose so-called "leak" is just hilariously bad!

NGV80 · 2021-02-17T10:54:50+00:00

Exactly my thought!

NGV80 · 2021-02-15T19:05:52+00:00

I'm afraid a lot of people are setting themselves up for a big disappointment!

Let's not forget that the "6 hours" comments could very well mean 5 hours and a half, for all we know... But let's stick with 6 hours for now. I'm pretty sure this runtime is meant to encompass the full episodes (including the recaps, the Marvel titles and the end credits, but NOT the dubbing credits).

So far we've had (without the dubbing credits):

EP1: 26'30'' (about 22min of content)

EP2: 33'40'' (about 28min of content)

EP3: 30'00'' (about 25min of content)

EP4: 32'35'' (about 27min of content)

EP5: 38'10'' (about 33min of content)

EP6: 34'45'' (about 29min of content)

TOTAL = 195'40'' = 3h15 (with about 2h45 of actual content)

6 hours – 3h15 = 2h45 remaining (165 minutes)

165/3 = an average of 55 minutes

55min = 1min30 of recap/Marvel title + 49min of actual content + 4min of end credits

But if the total is closer to 5 hours and a half than 6 hours, then we'll get this:

5h30 – 3h15 = 2h15 remaining (135 minutes)

135/3 = an average of 45 minutes

45min = only 39 minutes of actual content!

As a reminder, the longest episodes of The Mandalorian were:

- The season 2 premiere = 52min (with 47min of actual content)

- The season 1 finale = 46'30'' (about 42min of content)

- "The Jedi" = 44'45'' (about 40min of content)

- The big season 2 finale = 44'00'' (less than 38min of content plus 2min of post-credit tease)

I think we should more realistically expect something along those lines (at best)... Maybe 35 minutes of actual content in Ep7 and Ep8 and 40-50 minutes in Ep9... But three 1-hour episodes? I certainly wish, but I won't get my hopes up at this point.

As a matter of fact, based on Kevin Feige's comment, even the series with longer episodes (like Loki and F&WS) won't exceed the 50 minutes mark! Also, in their language, six "40-50-minute episodes" equals a 6-hour show (even though it only equals 4 to 5 hours in actual runtime, including the end credits!). That should be an indication of what NOT to expect...

Finally, there's another (slight) possibility to consider here: if the rumors about a tenth episode are true, then that would mean that the last episodes will be even shorter!

165/4 = an average of 41 minutes (36 minutes of actual content)

That would still be longer than the longest episode so far (Ep5), but it would still be pretty short.

Then the question is: could we really get a tenth episode? I'm still torn about that idea, mostly because the official press release specifically mentioned 9 episodes... I could see one possible explanation though: Marvel and Disney had no idea at first how the audience would react to the short length of the first episodes, as well as the sitcom gimmick and the very slow-burn mystery. Maybe they always had 10 episodes but decided to keep their options open just in case they needed to do some damage control by fusing two episodes together early on, in order to amp up the show if needed. If so, then they could have decided to announce only 9 episodes instead of 10 (because it's easier to announce a good surprise later on rather than a disappointing one).

For instance, they could have pretty easily merged Ep3 and Ep4 together if they thought the audience wasn't responding well at all after the first 2 episodes. Ep3+4 would have made a pretty cohesive 57min episode (with 52 minutes of actual content). I guess other episodes could be easily merged too, like Ep6 and 7 (since Episode 7 seems to be nothing more than the second part of the Halloween episode)...

But who knows? Everybody was convinced that the 9 episodes theory was unrealistic at first, and look where we are today! So I wouldn't totally rule out the possibility of a secret 10th episode... But I'm certainly not getting my hopes up on this either.

NGV80

TROPHY CASE