Fantastic Four First Steps Debuts With Historically Low Disney+ Viewership Numbers

by

For years, Marvel movies have been huge successes in theaters and on streaming services. But recent data from Nielsen shows a potential problem for Disney+. The new film, Fantastic Four: First Steps, had a surprisingly weak debut on the platform, landing at the very bottom of the list for all Marvel movie streaming releases.

The movie, which brought the popular team together in a shared universe, received 4.9 million views in the U.S. during its first five days on the streaming service. According to Nielsen, this is the lowest debut for any major Marvel movie released in theaters and then streamed so far.

Viewership for Fantastic Four: First Steps was lower than recent Marvel releases, which have already shown signs that audiences are losing interest. With only 4.9 million viewers, the film performed worse than previous releases and suggests a concerning new low for the franchise on streaming platforms.

The movie didn’t perform as well as earlier Marvel Cinematic Universe films released in 2025. For comparison, Thunderbolts had already been criticized for its box office results, but still earned 5.5 million equivalent video completions (EVCs) in its first five days. Captain America: Brave New World also opened to higher numbers, bringing in 6.4 million EVCs, exceeding Fantastic Four: First Steps’ initial performance.

Compared to other Marvel films, Fantastic Four: First Steps had a surprisingly low number of views. Even The Marvels, which wasn’t very successful in theaters, received 5.3 million views in its first week of streaming. Eternals, despite also performing poorly at the box office, reached 9.2 million views. This makes the 4.9 million views for Fantastic Four: First Steps particularly disappointing, considering how popular the Fantastic Four franchise is.

The initial performance of Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t strong, especially when compared to the huge success of Deadpool & Wolverine later in 2024. The R-rated team-up, which explored the multiverse, really attracted viewers and showed that people are still excited about superhero movies and shows.

Just before the first Fantastic Four movie came out, Deadpool & Wolverine quickly became a huge hit on Disney+, racking up 19.4 million views worldwide in its first six days. This made it one of the most-watched live-action movies on the streaming service.

The massive difference in views – 19.4 million in six days for Deadpool & Wolverine compared to 4.9 million in five days for Fantastic Four: First Steps – highlights how challenging it is to attract an audience these days. It shows that Marvel Cinematic Universe films really need to be high quality to get people interested.

Disney+’s First 5-Day Viewership Numbers For MCU Movies Released On A Wednesday (According To Nielsen)

  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — 14.1M
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — 10.9M
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — 9.7M
  • Eternals — 9.2M
  • Captain America: Brave New World — 6.4M
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania — 6.1M
  • Thunderbolts* — 5.5M
  • The Marvels — 5.3M
  • Black Widow — 5.1M
  • The Fantastic Four: First Steps — 4.9M

The viewing numbers shown don’t cover all Disney+ releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nielsen and Disney haven’t publicly shared the total watch time for every movie during its first five days. Specifically, data isn’t available for titles like Shang-Chi, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Deadpool and Wolverine.

Will The MCU’s Disney+ Viewership Improve In 2026?

The disappointing start of Fantastic Four: First Steps has led to concerns about how well Marvel shows are performing on streaming services. But with plans for 2026 already in place, it’s likely that viewership will improve. This is because Marvel seems to be focusing on its most popular and proven franchises again.

I’m really excited about what’s coming in 2026! It looks like they’re focusing almost entirely on continuing stories we already love – big sequels and bringing back characters that everyone already knows and appreciates. Honestly, it’s a smart move; they seem to be avoiding those new shows that haven’t quite caught on with viewers, and I think it’ll really pay off.

The movie lineup is led by two huge releases: Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the latest Avengers film, Doomsday, which is already proving to be a big hit. With Tom Holland returning as Spider-Man – his previous solo movie was a record-breaker – we expect a lot of people to tune in and watch.

A major Avengers movie will follow, and these films typically attract huge audiences as they bring together storylines and characters from across the entire series. With the return of popular heroes and a planned storyline featuring Doctor Doom, these films are expected to break viewership records on Disney+.

Read More

2025-12-09 20:36