Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Growing to Biggest Box Office Opening of the Marvel Trilogy
Marvel Studios' first release of 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is headed for a big opening weekend. The studio's third Ant-Man movie will have the biggest opening for the trilogy, earning more than $100 million in its first three days, including $46 million on its opening day. That is up 30% from its predecessor, 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp. By the end of the four-day President's Day holiday weekend, the film's total could climb as high as $120 million. Early box office projections suggested the additional dollars could be coming from the buzz around the debut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is bringing in the box office bucks despite being the second Marvel Studios movie to earn a rotten score on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mostly lacks the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures, but Jonathan Majors' Kang is a thrilling villain poised to alter the course of the MCU." However, its audience score is almost twice as positive as its critical number, and ComicBook.com's Jenna Anderson awarded the film a 4-out-of-5 in her review. She writes:
"On paper, a lot of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania shouldn't and couldn't work — but just enough does work to make watching it a worthwhile experience. Even with the occasional narrative flaw and aesthetic misstep, the film unfolds in a matter that's not unlike feverishly reading through a forgotten Bronze Age comic book, eagerly experiencing whatever story crumbs or impossible visuals might be in store. With multiple standout performances, an abundantly clear love for the wacky corners of science fiction, and a conflict that is guaranteed to matter in the years to come, Quantumania becomes the weirdest and most wholehearted chapter in the MCU's essential storytelling."
Avatar: The Way of Water remains in second place in its 10th weekend, while Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Magic Mike's Last Dance, and 80 for Brady round out the holiday weekend top five.
Peyton Reed returned to direct Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, Katy O'Brian, William Jackson Harper, Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer, Corey Stoll, and Michael Douglas, and is playing in theaters now.