Ant-Man has a strong opening weekend with $104 million for “Quantumania”

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Despite a slow start for Marvel’s Phase Five, Ant-Man has become one of the franchise’s most successful films. CNBC reported that studio estimates released on Sunday indicate that “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” had a domestic opening weekend gross of $104 million, easily besting the opening weekends of the first two Ant-Man films. “Quantumania,” released by The Walt Disney Company, grossed an additional $121.3 million outside of North America, bringing the worldwide total for the film’s opening weekend to $225 million.

The 31st MCU film, “Quantumania,” received an uncharacteristically harsh critical response, but it still managed to have the biggest opening of the year so far. The only MCU movie to rank as “rotten” next to “Eternals” (47%), “Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp, and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, has a fresh rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Quantumania received a “B” CinemaScore from viewers who weren’t overly impressed, and again, “Eternals” is the only other MCU movie to receive a rating that low.

These ratings, which came in the wake of the comic book franchise’s post-”Avengers: Endgame” phase four’s mixed reception, will be Marvel’s biggest worry as it moves forward with the release of phase five of the MCU. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will be released in May.

Regardless of the reviews, theaters are hoping that “Quantumania,” the year’s first blockbuster, is a sign of things to come. There are about 30 more wide releases scheduled for 2023, following the instability of the previous three years.

The first “Ant-Man” had the lowest domestic opening of any MCU film in 2015 with $57.2 million. In the end, $519.3 million was made globally. Three years later, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” made its global debut with $75.8 million and went on to earn $622.7 million.

Deadline points out the film’s attraction, which is Jonathan Majors’ new MCU villain Kang the Conqueror, who now has a new walk-around character at theme parks. It’s pretty clear that those negative reviews aren’t having an impact on what folks want to see. Ant-Man 3’s record franchise U.S./Canada opening, which is 44% higher than 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp’s $75.8M opening, is the result of Disney making Kang the Conqueror the focal point of its marketing campaign here.

Both of those releases received more than $100 million in China, which was crucial. However, fewer American films have gotten significant releases in the tightly controlled Chinese market in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. A Disney release hasn’t had a simultaneous U.S. and Chinese release since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, according to ABC News.

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all.

This story was originally published February 20, 2023 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Ant-Man has a strong opening weekend with $104 million for “Quantumania”."