If we look back on the summer of 2025, we'll definitely see it as one to remember when it comes to movie releases. From major franchise returns like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Freakier Friday to the larger than life July trifecta of Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and indeed The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it was a stacked season for movies.
Hard as it might be to believe, this wasn't a summer in the 2000s; it was 2025, and it was full of major movie spectacles. And it goes without saying that Marvel Studios were happy to see the success that their most recent outing, The Fantastic Four, achieved at the box office. The film has grossed over $500 million thus far and, as we head towards the quartet's return in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, you can bet that Marvel fans will want to revisit the film - or visit it for the first time - to make sure that they know Marvel's First Family as well as they possibly can.
If you're hoping for that watch to take place on Disney Plus however, it's going to be some time until it's eventually made available to stream on that platform.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is still in its theatrical run, so it's going to be a long time before it streams on Disney Plus
Marvel's most recent adventure to arrive on the big screen, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is still enjoying success at the box office, having just recently surpassed $500 million worldwide. With that in mind, it's unlikely that Marvel Studios will be releasing the film on Disney Plus at any point in the near-future. While that just wouldn't be a reality at any point in time, this year has been a little tougher on Marvel Cinematic Universe movies at the box office, with both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* not breaking even during their theatrical runs. As Fantastic Four has found success that will allow it to break even, the studio wouldn't risk undercutting that with any kind of early streaming release.
Film fans were hoping that First Steps might replicate the strategy of its fellow major July movies in releasing on digital streaming PVOD platforms (where it would be available to purchase on platforms such as Apple TV or Amazon's Prime Video) but that hasn't been the case. If Marvel hasn't announced a digital release date yet - and that will come first - then the Disney Plus release date is so much further away.
If we do the math, the MCU movies tend to arrive on Disney Plus around 80 - 100 days after their theatrical releases. That would put The Fantastic Four: First Steps on course for a Disney Plus debut sometime in late October or early November. That being said, there is one caveat to that prediction: Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* just made its streaming debut on the platform after breaking the record for the longest wait for an MCU to arrive on it, releasing 118 days after its theatrical premiere. So, First Steps' arrival could be in the later stretch of November by that metric.
Speaking of Thunderbolts*, as it has just arrived on Disney Plus - and is tearing up the service's Top 10 chart! - it's going to be some time before First Steps joins it. Marvel made fans wait that little bit longer for that film to make its debut on the platform and it is paying off. You can rest assured that it wouldn't risk upending that momentum by releasing Fantastic Four on it in the near-future.
The good news is that the film's PVOD digital streaming release likely isn't too far away. As Thunderbolts* was released to digital platforms for purchase or renting two months after its arrival on the big screen, we can probably expect The Fantastic four to do the same. If that is the case, then it should be available to buy or rent at either the end of September or the very beginning of October. The DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD will all likely then come at the end of that month, bridging the gap until its eventual Disney Plus release.