‘Quantumania’ Expected to Close as Worst Performing Film of Franchise

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Paul Rudd as many Ant-Men in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Marvel

Credit: Marvel Studios

Things still aren’t looking good for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).

Ant-Man talking to Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man 3
Credit: Marvel Studios

Ever since the first eyes not involved with Marvel Studios saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, things didn’t seem to be looking up for the third installment in the franchise. The early reactions from critics sunk the film to be one of only two “Rotten” films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now, it seems like the critics have done even more lasting damage to the franchise.

Ant-Man not happy with what he is looking at
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Why Experts Are Confident In ‘Quantumania’ Despite Second Week Sag

Quantumania offered hope, initially to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which had a lackluster Phase Four, highlighted only by a few shining moments. The new film would kick off Phase Five and would usher in the next big villain of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe: Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Besides, who doesn’t love Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang/Ant-Man?

Scott Lang stealing Ant Man suit
Credit: Marvel Studios

The critics, apparently. Despite outstanding performances from Rudd, Majors, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Kathryn Newton, and many others, there were just certain things that the critics couldn’t get past. This didn’t dampen optimism at the studio, and after a fantastic opening weekend, it seemed like fans would be able to see past the critical reviews.

Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Stinger (Cassie Lang), and Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Credit: Marvel Studios

Then came the second weekend. After just one week, Quantumania suffered the second-worst drop in box office numbers in the history of Marvel Studios. Still, certain people at the studio and even financial analysts didn’t count out the third Ant-Man, saying that things would most likely even out. New projections, however, make that outcome very unlikely.

Scott Lang/Ant-Man (L) and Hope van Dyne/Wasp (R) on the red carpet in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Credit: Marvel Studios

According to ComicBookMovie, several analysts are now projecting that, at the most, Quantumania will close out its theatrical run with just $475M – $490 million, the lowest of the Ant-Man franchise. To put it in perspective, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), which most Marvel fans agree struggled to capture the Marvel magic, finished its run with $761 million, significantly more than Quantumania. This low take would put the film in the neighborhood of Marvel’s other worst-rated film, Eternals (2021), and even pandemic-era releases.

The Eternals
Credit: Marvel Studios

What does this mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? With Quantumania screenwriter Jeff Loveness already working on the next big Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025), the low ratings, critical response, and dismal box-office take could have significant implications. Loveness, however, has stated that at the current time anyway, the response has not affected how he plans to write Kang Dynasty or other projects with Marvel in the future.

The Charge in the final battle of Avengers: Endgame
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Has Just Been Censored

All this being said, Quantumania still holds an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which still puts it over other Phase Four offerings like Love and Thunder and Eternals. If Marvel takes into account audience reaction, coupled with DC’s rising popularity, things still might be looking up for the franchise. Hopefully, Marvel’s next offering, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), will see slightly better numbers at the box office. Otherwise, Kevin Feige is going to have to take a serious look at the studio strategy.

What did you think about Quantumania? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!

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