First Steps and Superman stack up at the box office and with critics? With both films launching in July 2025, fans and analysts have been comparing every number and rating to see which superhero epic came out on top.

First Steps" captured $218 million in its box office debut while "Superman" and "F1" crossed major milestones.

Even before they released, just two weeks apart from one another, we knew that Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps would have a lot in common. Both movies feature founding characters from the comics, both embrace the qualities that made their characters uncool in the past, and both have a hopeful, optimistic tone.

DC's "Superman" previously held the record for highest box office sales in Thursday night previews for 2025, with $22.5 million. Now, Marvel is reporting "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" sped past that figure, earning $24.4 million in Thursday previews.

With this being 2025, you can't escape Rotten Tomatoes discourse when it comes to a major movie release. All eyes, then, are on Fantastic Four: First Steps – and if it has beaten Superman on the review aggregation site. Fantastic Four is now certified fresh, currently sitting at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes after 130 reviews.

First Steps is coming in lighter than projections in its first box office weekend with $117.6 million. Still records were broken.

First Steps had a solid hold on Monday with a fantastic $10.4 million haul, and that bodes well for the coming week. Matt Shakman, meanwhile, has weighed in on Thunderbolts*'s stinger.

For the past two weeks now, I’ve gone to the movies. That’s probably the first time in a half decade or so that I’ve actually chosen to buy tickets, make the drive out to the Lawrence multiplex, and watch two films on two successive Sundays.