'Ant-Man and The Wasp' Outpacing 'Doctor Strange' in Ticket Presales

07/03/2018 03:34 pm EDT

Ant-Man and the Wasp is on pace for a pretty stellar weekend at the domestic box office, and the ticket pre-sales have already surpassed another popular Marvel Studios adventure, Doctor Strange.

According to a press release from Fandango, the company's has sold more tickets for Ant-Man and the Wasp than Doctor Strange at this point in their pre-release schedules, though there was no mention of exactly how many tickets had been sold.

On the surface, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Doctor Strange are two wildly different films, so it may seem odd to compare the two. However, when you look at where they both landed on Marvel's release calendar, things start to make a little more sense.

Doctor Strange hit theaters in November 2016, and it was the first film to be released after Marvel's big team-up movie, Captain America: Civil War. As we know, Ant-Man and the Wasp is the follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War, which changed the entire trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, both films are Marvel's answer to massive blockbusters, so they have every right to be compared.

This bodes well for Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is projected to earn $80 million over its opening weekend. Doctor Strange, when it debuted in 2016, earned a little more than $85 million in its opening bow.

In addition to the high ticket sales on Fandango, it sounds as though the fans are more than excited for the Ant-Man sequel to hit theaters this weekend. Fandango surveyed 1,000 moviegoers that are planning to see Ant-Man and the Wasp, and these were the results:

• 99 percent are planning to stick around for the films surprising post-credits scenes
• 98 percent are attracted to the series' special blend of comedy & adventure
• 96 percent are particularly excited to see the next MCU movie after Avengers: Infinity War
• 94 percent look forward to the film's different kind of villain
• 90 percent can't wait to see Marvel's first female superhero with the title billing

"A record-breaking year for Marvel Studios continues this week with the highly-anticipated sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, which looks to make a big mark at the box office with its tiny characters," says Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis. "Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer lead an action-comedy that is one of the more kid-friendly Marvel titles, and as such, will make a perfect holiday escape for the entire family."

Are you looking forward to seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp hit theaters this weekend? What about the movie are you most excited about? Let us know your thoughts on the movie by dropping a line in the comments below!

Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters in North America this Friday.

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