‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Tops ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Wonder Woman’ at Thursday Box Office

Ant-Man and the Wasp certainly got off to a giant-sized debut on its Thursday night opening, topping notable movies like Doctor Strange and Wonder Woman in the process.

According to Variety, Marvel Studios‘ latest opening to $11.5 million in Thursday night previews, annihilating the original Ant-Man movie, which made just $6.4 million on its opening bow.

For comparison, Marvel’s 2016 film Doctor Strange made $9.4 million on its preview night, while Warner Bros. and DC’s mega-hit movie Wonder Woman earned $11 million when it debuted last year.

As of now, Ant-Man and the Wasp is pacing for a substantial opening weekend, tracking in the range of $70 million to $80 million in its first three days. The movie is opening in 4,026 total theaters this weekend.

Ant-Man and the Wasp will have no trouble winning the domestic box office this weekend, as its only competition is The First Purge, which has earned $9.3 million since opening on July 4th, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, now entering its third weekend. Also carving out some of the market share is Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2, which has now grossed $468.2 million at the domestic box office, the 14th-highest total of all time.

While Ant-Man and the Wasp certainly won’t top the opening of its Marvel Studios predecessor, the record-breaking Avengers: Infinity War, the movie is sure to blast past the totals of the first Ant-Man film. When released in 2015, following Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man opened to $57 million in its first weekend, en route to a total of $180 million at the domestic box office, and $519 million globally.

This weekend marks the first of the third quarter at the box office, and there are some pretty lofty expectations to live up to. The second quarter broke records, amassing a total of $3.33 billion at the domestic box office, thanks in large part to Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, and Incredibles 2. The summer season alone has already his $2.4 billion as of July 4, which is up 15.6 percent from last year.

How much do you think Ant-Man and the Wasp will make in its opening weekend? Let us know by dropping a line in the comments below!