YOU would be surprised how many movies never make the cut. Some stall in pre-production, others get shelved after filming wraps. A few are even pulled just before hitting theatres.
Many end up straight to DVD (or, back in the day, straight to VHS), destined for bargain bins instead of box office glory.
Would you be surprised that a movie based on one of Marvel’s biggest superhero teams suffered an even stranger fate?
Was the first Fantastic Four movie actually never released in theatres?
VERDICT:
TRUE
The 2005 Fantastic Four movie starring Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, and others was the first to hit theatres — but it wasn’t the first one ever made.
There are mixed reasons why the 1994 film never made it to the big screen.
The biggest factor? Producer Bernd Eichinger rushed out an ultra-low-budget version (just $1 million) because his rights to the characters were about to expire. He had held the Fantastic Four rights from Marvel for more than a decade, and by 1992, the company pressured him to get something made. He delivered, but the result looked cheap and unfinished.
Rumours persist that the movie was never meant to be released — a fact the cast and crew allegedly didn’t know until after filming wrapped. Eichinger denied this, claiming he fully intended to distribute it.
But the real nail in the coffin came from Marvel. Former CEO Avi Arad reportedly bought the movie, blocked its 1994 release, and may have destroyed all copies. Why? He feared the B-movie quality would flop and risk damaging Marvel’s growing reputation.
Today, the film lives on through bootleg copies and YouTube uploads. For Marvel fans and film buffs, it’s become legendary “lost media”— a forgotten chapter in superhero movie history.
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/movies/fantastic-four-forgotten-film.html?smid=url-share
