SAN DIEGO, July 25 (Reuters) - Comic fans are embracing

the latest showdown between Marvel and DC as their superhero

films "Fantastic Four" and "Superman" compete for box office

dominance, reigniting a rivalry spanning over eight decades.

Whether it's the thrill of seeing the comic book superhero

The Thing shout "It's clobbering time!" before throwing a punch

or watching Superman and his faithful pup Krypto save the day,

fans are heading to movie theaters to support their favorite

films.

"Well, clearly I'm a Marvel fan," Danielle Stroski, who was

dressed as the shapeshifter character named Mystique from

Marvel's X-Men comics, at the San Diego Comic-Con.

"But I have a little white dog at home, so I love me some

'Superman' as well. And I know the little white dog is stealing

the show for 'Superman,' so it's going to be close. But I got to

go Marvel," she added.

The 42-year-old from California predicted "Fantastic Four"

would outperform "Superman" at the box office.

DC fan Lito Loza, dressed as Superboy, voiced his support

for "Superman." "I've already seen 'Superman' three times, and

I'm very, very happy with what James Gunn did with it. It makes

me feel hopeful," he said, referring to the director.

The filmmakers, meanwhile, encourage fans to support both

movies.

"I'm a huge Superman fan. I'm a huge James Gunn fan. I'm

thrilled that both of us are coming out this month," director

Matt Shakman of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" told Reuters at

the London premiere.

"I think we share a lot of similar optimism in our tone and

our feeling in the worlds that we're building. And there's room

for 'Superman,' there's room for 'Fantastic Four.' I'm thrilled.

Go see both," he added.

"Superman" director Gunn, who directed the Marvel movie

"Guardians of the Galaxy", said in an interview in Los Angeles

that he grew up reading both Marvel and DC comic books,

appreciating their distinct tones.

In theaters on July 11, "Superman" introduced David

Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The movie grossed around $173

million globally and $264 million domestically, according to Box

Office Mojo.

Warner Bros has heavily invested in "Superman," aiming to

launch a new era at DC Studios under Gunn, named co-CEO,

alongside producer Peter Safran. Upcoming projects include a

Supergirl film slated for June 2026, a film based on the

character Swamp Thing as well as TV shows for HBO Max.

Disney ( DIS ) said "Fantastic Four," which stars Pedro Pascal,

opened with $24.4 million in ticket sales in the United States

and Canada on Thursday night while Daniel Loria, senior vice

president at Boxoffice predicts that "Fantastic Four: First

Steps" will open domestically at $115 million to $135 million.

While sales are currently around $115 million to $125

million, he said there was an increase in ticket purchases over

the last week that will likely bring sales to the $115 million

to $135 million range.