Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps stormed Nigerian cinemas over the weekend, raking in more than N100 million in ticket sales and cementing itself as the year’s most successful Hollywood debut in the country.
According to data from local box office trackers, the film collected N91.1 million through Saturday night and N107.6 million by the end of Sunday, placing it at the top of the charts.
The strong turnout reflects Nigeria’s growing appetite for big-budget superhero fare, even as the global film industry grapples with uneven audience enthusiasm.
Marvel’s latest release, which cost at least $300 million to produce and market worldwide, is projected to generate roughly $220 million globally in its opening weekend, including an estimated $118 million in the United States and Canada. Industry forecasts had predicted around $115 million domestically, but robust pre-sales and positive word of mouth pushed the tally slightly higher.
Reviews for First Steps have been generally favorable, a notable change for a studio that has struggled to replicate the dominance it enjoyed during the decade-long run of the Avengers franchise. The film marks Marvel’s first original breakout hit in six years. It is not a sequel but rather a new adaptation of the Fantastic Four comic series, first introduced in 1961.
The Fantastic Four superhero team has a complicated cinematic history. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the four characters Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm first appeared in Marvel Comics more than six decades ago. Constantin Film bought the film rights in 1986, leading to a low-budget 1992 version produced by Roger Corman’s New Horizon Studios.
In 2005, after Constantin sub-licensed the rights to 20th Century Fox, a new Fantastic Four film was released, followed by Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007. While neither was warmly received by critics, they earned a combined $635 million worldwide. A planned third installment and a Silver Surfer spin-off were ultimately scrapped after disappointing box-office results.
A 2015 reboot directed by Josh Trank proved a critical and commercial failure, with plans for a sequel abandoned. Marvel Studios only regained the rights in 2019 after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox.
Now, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps part of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel seems to have finally delivered the version fans have been waiting for. Released on July 25, 2025, the film has already become the most positively reviewed entry in the franchise’s checkered history.