Two important superhero movies will battle at the box office next July

The first movie in James Gunn’s DC Universe is currently slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Gunn is one of the shared universe’s overseers, and just to make sure the franchise gets off on the right foot, he has tasked himself to write and direct Superman (formerly Superman: Legacy). Its placement in the middle of July could help its chances of becoming a major summer blockbuster.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled for July 25, 2025, exactly two weeks after Superman. Of course, Marvel Studios would hope to claim a big piece of the superhero movie market share with its Fantastic Four introduction, which could mean encroaching on some of Superman’s ticket sales. Although this is not the first time that two popular comic book properties have tangled up at theatrical venues, this is shaping up to be a particularly high-profile box office bout.

Unlike the second Joker and third Venom movies, which both come out this October, the Superman and Fantastic Four reboots have much more at stake for their respective franchises. Joker: Folie à Deux is a part of the DC Elseworlds slate, while Venom: The Last Dance is produced by Sony’s Marvel branch. Both might be the final films in their sub-franchises and may not step on each other’s toes too much, when it comes to theatrical revenue.

On the contrary, Superman will officially launch the DCU’s new movie universe, with many projects already planned that will connect to the narrative tissue of that tentpole event. Then there is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which, unlike Superman, is not even close to the first film in its shared franchise, as it will be the 37th Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. But it will be similarly important for its studio; the movie will mark the inauguration of a substantial group of characters that could dictate the success of the MCU’s future.

This will be a real DC vs. Marvel showdown at the cinema. If Superman’s momentum carries over into Fantastic Four’s release window, it could spoil the arrival of the super-family into the MCU. On the other hand, if Superman has a less than auspicious start at the box office, First Steps could potentially cast a large shadow over the DC inauguration and put a consequential damper on the revamped franchise.

The last time that DC's extended franchise faced off against the MCU with such close release dates was in November 2017. Thor: Ragnarok’s early November opening weekend topped $120 million, domestically. Just two weeks later, Justice League failed to earn $100 million in its first weekend. The fact that Justice League was meant to be DC’s team-up event to rival Marvel’s billion-dollar Avenger accomplishments made the box office battle even more embarrassing for DC and Warner Brothers.

An insider from the DC camp was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, stating "if a B character from Marvel shuts down and outperforms the A team from DC, that’s an embarrassment." Well, by the time the dust settled, Ragnarok ended its run with $855 million worldwide, while Justice League topped off at $661 million.

Deadpool and Wolverine blew past many superhero movies on the charts this July, signifying that this time of the year is still perfect for distributing blockbuster hits. “Barbenheimer” made headlines in July 2023. Could Superman, or Fantastic Four, or both, break box office records next July? Or will one of their studios look to avoid a cinematic clash and move their movie’s release to avoid conflict? After all, both will have to contend with Jurassic World: Rebirth, which also releases in July next year.

DC may be the ones at most risk here, as it would be a very risky endeavor to send out its revamped universe into uncertain financial territory. However, Marvel Studios has also been under a lot of fiscal pressure post-Endgame. So, the best case scenario would be a “Barbenheimer”-like occurrence, where both movies fill seats for the remainder of the summer season. But if one outshines the other, similar to what Ragnarok did to Justice League, it could negatively impact the course of the future for the losing studio.