“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which sees the return of Paul Rudd’s subatomic superhero, was expected to reinvigorate the sluggish winter box office when the latest Marvel adventure opens in theaters over the weekend, but now that the reviews are rolling in, those expectations have been greatly dampened.
The critics consensus from the first 175 professional critics at Rotten Tomatoes says “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.” While that may or may not be true, many of our contacts in the media say they hype for Jonathan Majors’ take on Kang in this film is greatly overblown as well.
If this critics score holds, Ant-Man 3 will be one of the all-time worst rated Marvel Cinematic Universe films, only ranking higher than Eternals (47%) and Marvel’s Inhumans (11%). This doesn’t bode well for Phase 5.
Disney’s third standalone “Ant-Man” movie was expected to collect $95 million to $100 million in North America over the traditional weekend and $110 through President’s Day on Monday, but that’s unlikely now. However, as the only new nationwide release, it should still take the No. 1 spot, from “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” with ease.
At the international box office, “Ant-Man 3” was looking to clear at least $160 million — though estimates range from $130 million to as high as $190 million. We’re now expecting that to be below $130M. In China, where “Quantumania” is still projected to bring in $35 million to $55 million, the studio believes the middle kingdom will be key in the final weekend tally.
Ant-Man 3 is one of the rare Hollywood movies — and only the second Marvel tentpole since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” — to play in Chinese movie theaters, so Disney still has some hope.
Peyton Reed directed “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which is the 31st installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In spite of lackluster reviews, the film has a lot of weight on its back with the responsibility of kicking off Phase Five of the MCU, which continues with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “The Marvels,” “Captain America: New World Order,” “Thunderbolts” and “Blade.”
