“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which sees the return of Paul Rudd’s subatomic superhero, is expected to reinvigorate the sluggish winter box office when the latest Marvel adventure opens in theaters over the weekend.
Disney’s third standalone “Ant-Man” movie is expected to collect $95 million to $100 million in North America over the traditional weekend and $110 through President’s Day on Monday. As the only new nationwide release, it’ll take the No. 1 spot, from “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” with ease.
At the international box office, “Ant-Man 3” is looking to clear at least $160 million — though estimates range from $130 million to as high as $190 million. China, where “Quantumania” is projected to bring in $35 million to $55 million, will be key in the final weekend tally. It’s 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.
Based on domestic box office estimates, the newest “Ant-Man” is buzzing below recent Marvel titles such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($185 million), “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144 million) and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ($181 million). But the comic book adventures centered on Rudd’s pint-sized hero, also known by his alter ego Scott Lang, have traditionally earned less than its mighty Avenger counterparts. Encouragingly, it’s getting a huge jump on its predecessors, 2015’s “Ant-Man” ($57 million) and 2018’s sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp” ($76 million domestically and $161 million globally). The first two films, which are better points of comparison for “Quantumania,” tapped out with $519 million and $622 million worldwide, respectively.
Peyton Reed directed “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which is the 31st installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has the lofty 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.” Yet, the movie only kind of fulfills that responsibility, according to Rolling Stone’s film critic David Fear. “An ant can carry 10-15 times its body weight, yet as the designated kick-off film tasked with setting up the next two-phase, multi-movie/TV arc, ‘Quantumania’ is still being crushed by having to bear way too much of a franchise burden,” he wrote in his review.
Fear isn’t the only critic who left “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with mixed feelings; the film holds a 60% average on Rotten Tomatoes. But reviews rarely matter when it comes to Marvel, at least in terms of opening weekend turnout. The long-running franchise’s interconnected universe — which spans the big and small screen — makes every adventure a must-see to comic book fans.
Evangeline Lilly, who portrays the Wasp, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglass returned for “Quantumania,” while Jonathan Majors as the villainous Kang the Conqueror, Kathryn Newton as Scott Lang’s daughter, and William Jackson Harper as Quaz also star. In the film, Ant-Man and company are transported to the mysterious Quantum Realm — which defies the laws of space and time — to save the planet from forces of evil.
In Variety’s review, chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised Majors, whose character is poised to become the next Thanos-level threat to the universe. “With no motion-capture makeup to hide behind, Jonathan Majors holds you with the quiet force of his pensive scowl,” he wrote. “You hang on his every word; he makes vengeance and genocide sound like the most hypnotically casual of propositions.”
That’s a good sign for Marvel, since the time-traveling baddie isn’t going anywhere — at least until “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” hits theaters in 2025.