Production designer Kasra Farahani took that and ran with it, turning London’s Pinewood Studios into a retro-futuristic Manhattan by drawing influences from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” and architects including Eero Saarinen and Oscar Niemeyer.

That might sound like no big deal, but after 2023’s “The Marvels,” this spring’s fourth “Captain America” movie and “Thunderbolts*” all underperformed by Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) standards, the new “Fantastic Four” may offer broader audience appeal by not pulling from other franchises.

Outside of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' the reboot looks to score the best domestic opening for Kevin Feige's superhero studio since 2022's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.'

First Steps” is the third Marvel movie to hit theaters this year, but it packs way more hidden references and nods than “Captain America: Brave New World” or “Thunderbolts.” It’s not on the same level of Easter eggs as last year’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,

Is the new “Fantastic Four” movie fantastic? No, and not everyone will love the amount of downtime in this one. But good is good enough for a Marvel superhero movie these days.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Everett Collection SATURDAY AM: The Fantastic Four: First Steps at $120M-$125M is one of the sixth best openings for a Marvel Cinematic Universe title post Covid and that’s a great thing.

In 1978, the animation company DePatie–Freleng (best known for The Pink Panther) teamed with Marvel to make The New Fantastic Four. The stories leaned a little more into sci-fi and tech, especially with the inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E., the group's little robotic friend not too dissimilar from Star Wars' R2-D2.

As the filmmaker’s three-year journey wound down on the project, he realized a key moment was missing, and managed to shoot it just a few months before the film opened.