‘Fantastic Four’ Eyes $110 Million Opening — John Malkovich Cut From Final Version

So much for superhero fatigue.

With just a week to go before release, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is looking to score a strong debut at the domestic box office, with Deadline reporting early projections of a $100–110M opening weekend.

The film has already notched $13M in pre-sales as of Monday, and it’s currently outpacing both previous 2025 MCU entries while almost equalling “Superman”. That’s not nothing, especially considering ‘First Steps’ has yet to benefit from reviews, and forst reactions, if they do turn out positive.

The film is embargoed until late Monday — a timing move that could go either way.

Overseas, “Fantastic Four” will likely overperform “Superman” internationally. The real story here may not be whether Marvel is “back,” but how quickly audiences are willing to re-embrace actual legacy characters.

However, not everything has gone according to plan. There have been confirmed reports thar John Malkovich — who appeared in the teaser trailer as Ivan Kragoff/The Red Ghost — has been completely cut from the final version. The finished film now reportedly runs a lean 115 minutes, making it one of the shortest MCU entries in years, but perhaps, wisely, avoiding the bloat that has plagued more recent instalments.

My take on the controversy is simple: has a film ever been worse for having John Malkovich in it? I can’t think of one. Even when the movie falls apart around him, he always brings something unexpected.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” opens July 25. Whether or not it’s the beginning of a new Marvel era will likely depend on what happens that first weekend, and whether critics/audiences abide by it.