Fantastic Four Bombed in Theaters, But Fans Waited to Watch It Free on Disney+

Like with Thunderbolts, Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t a hit in theaters or for rental, but found an audience when it became available on Disney+ as part of people’s subscriptions—essentially getting it at no extra cost.

Fans tune in for “free”

Samba TV reports that Fantastic Four: First Steps was watched 92% more times on Disney+ during its first five days than it was when initially available for rental. This suggests that most viewers preferred to watch the new Marvel film as part of their Disney+ subscription instead of paying an additional fee.

Similarly, Thunderbolts saw a 105% uptick on Disney+ compared to PVOD.

Box Office Recap

Before landing on streaming, the film struggled to meet expectations in theaters:

  • Domestic: $274,286,610 (52.6%)
  • International: $247,572,118 (47.4%)
  • Worldwide: $521,858,728

Although Fantastic Four earned more at the box office than Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, it didn’t reach the billion-dollar mark that Marvel movies used to consistently achieve.

Same Story, New Movie

After both Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four gained a lot of viewers on streaming services despite disappointing performance in theaters, it’s becoming clear that people aren’t willing to pay high prices to see Marvel movies anymore.

Viewers seem happy to postpone watching until these films become available on Disney+, which suggests the Marvel brand isn’t as popular as it once was.

What’s next?

After disappointing performances from Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four, Marvel has paused its plans and delayed the release of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Doomsday is now expected to come out on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars is planned for December 17, 2027.

The casts of all three movies have been confirmed for Doomsday.

Currently, the only Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie scheduled for release is Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is coming out on July 31, 2026.

After the events of Secret Wars, Marvel is likely starting fresh with a reboot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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2025-11-12 22:01