Marvel’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsbreaks a new record, leaving behind every previousMarvelmovie starring the same team.The Fantastic Four: First Stepsdelivers a standalone story focused on Marvel’s First Family. It also sets up future stories likethe Russo brothers' upcomingAvengers: Doomsdayand possiblyAvengers: Secret Wars.
On its opening weekend,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsreceives an A- rating fromCinemaScore.The Fantastic Four: First Stepssurpasses the 2005Fantastic FourandFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’s B scores, as well as the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot’s C- grade. However, an A- rating placesThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsin the bottom half of the MCU’sCinemaScorerankings.
What The Fantastic Four: First Steps' CinemaScore Record Means
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is A Strong New Beginning For The Characters
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' A- CinemaScore is a win for Marvel Studios due to the Fantastic Four franchise’s rocky past. Audiences and critics didn’t fully connect withany previous live-action Fantastic Four movie.First Stepsmarks a clear turning point as the team finally earns a place in the MCU and start a potentially long journey.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsrenews audience trust in the brand. The team has been a major part of Marvel Comics lore since 1961, but they haven’t had the same luck on the big screen. For a property long seen as impossible to translate to live-action,The Fantastic Four: First Steps' positive reception is a major reputation boost.
On the other hand, an A- grade isn’t ideal within the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s rankings. Severalmore divisive MCU movies likeIron Man 3,Ant-Man and the Wasp, andAvengers: Age of Ultron, have earned a full A CinemaScore. This placesThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsin a solid but not elite tier.
Our Take On The Fantastic Four: First Steps' CinemaScore Record
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is A Solid Fountation, But There’s Room To Improve
Audience and critic reception to the MCU’s first Fantastic Four entry are equally positive across other sites and aggregators.The Fantastic Four: First Stepsovershadows its predecessors’Rotten Tomatoesscoresas well. By the end of its opening weekend,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsholds an 87% Tomatometer and a 93% Popcornmeter.
While there’s always room to improve, the MCU seems to be adjusting certain flaws and weaknesses.Thunderbolts*andThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' positive reception might lead to stronger standalone films. In turn, crossover events likeAvengers: Doomsdaywill benefit from higher anticipation and characters with solid narrative foundations.
