'Ant-Man and the Wasp' Puts Franchise Over $1 Billion Total

Ant-Man might be small in stature, but his box office power cannot be denied. Between Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, the hero's adventures have earned more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

The original 2015 film concluded its theatrical run with $519.3 million worldwide, with this summer's follow-up film having recently crossed the $600 million-mark worldwide. Having landed in theaters back in July, the sequel will likely end its theatrical run in the near future, making it doubtful it could cross the $700 million threshold.

One factor that makes this number so impressive is that the original Ant-Man and a number of behind-the-scenes creative shake-ups was one of the first examples of potential problems for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Shaun of the Dead filmmaker Edgar Wright had been developing an Ant-Man film for nearly eight years, dating back to the infancy of the MCU, with it being a passion project for the better part of a decade. Much to the dismay of fans, Wright ultimately parted ways with the project in 2014 due to creative differences with the studio.

Peyton Reed then stepped in to direct the film.

"The most diplomatic answer is I wanted to make a Marvel movie but I don't think they really wanted to make an Edgar Wright movie," Wright admitted to Variety last year. "I was the writer-director on it and then they wanted to do a draft without me, and having written all my other movies, that's a tough thing to move forward. Suddenly becoming a director for hire on it, you're sort of less emotionally invested and you start to wonder why you're there, really."

Of the series' many strengths, fans have responded incredibly positively to what star Paul Rudd brings to the franchise. Despite Wright wishing things had unfolded differently, he was at least happy that Rudd found success.

"I regret the time wasted," the director admitted to io9. "I actually had dinner with Paul Rudd [recently] in New York, and we'd seen each other before, but this was probably the first time we'd sat down since all of that and I was like, 'Well, at least I got my friend cast in that movie.'"

Ant-Man and the Wasp is in theaters now.

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019; and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.

Are you hoping the financial success means we get more Ant-Man adventures? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Box Office Mojo]