Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Wins Second Box Office Weekend Despite Having Marvel's Worst Drop-off

Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will remain atop the box office chart in its second despite suffering the worst week-to-week drop-off ever for a Marvel Studios film. The film opened with a record high for the Ant-Man series of films last weekend, scoring $104 million in its first three days and $118 million over the President's Day holiday. But this weekend, it's projected to drop 69.6% for a second-weekend haul of $32.2 million. That's slightly more than initially projected, but still the largest first-to-second weekend dip in Marvel's history. Early box office projections suggested the film would benefit from introducing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. If that was true, the effect has dissipated while the film's middling B- CinemaScore a second-lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie lingers.

Black Widow previously had the MCU's biggest box office drop at $67.8%, though it was also released on the same day on Disney+ Premier Access. Thor: Love and Thunder was a close second at 67.7%. Quantumania's drop rivals that of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (69%) and Ang Lee's Hulk (69.7%). 

The film's Critics' Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes 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." Yet, 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."

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.