Credit: DreamWorks AnimationIt’s no secret that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) is one of the worst Marvel films so far. As the third installment of the Ant-Man franchise, the film kicked off Phase Five of the MCU and introduced the new “Big Bad,” Kang the Conqueror.
The film initially received the lowest scores on Rotten Tomatoes for a Marvel film, and set a record for having the biggest drop between first and second weekend earnings in the box office. Overall, the film has been considered a disappointment, with many pointing to “superhero fatigue” as a major reason why.
In a surprising twist, a non-Disney animated film dominated at the box office, with DreamWorks’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish even earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The follow-up film to Puss in Boots came over a decade after the original film and almost two decades after the character was first introduced. The film features a mix of 2-D and 3-D graphic animation styles, similar to the innovative mix of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
The sequel resonated both with older audiences who grew up with the cast and crew of Shrek, and younger audiences who were just meeting the ferocious feline. Either way, the film spoke for itself, as did its box office numbers. As it currently stands, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is set to end with a higher worldwide box office than Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
‘PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH’ is tracking to end with a higher worldwide box office than ‘ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA’. pic.twitter.com/Snvn1upxvr
— The Hollywood Handle (@hollywoodhandle) March 12, 2023
According to Box Office Mojo, the Marvel film so far has grossed $448,349,859 worldwide, with $198,112,394 earned domestically. In comparison, the DreamWorks animated film grossed $462,125,150 worldwide and $179,729,150 domestically. While Ant-Man will still be in theaters a little longer, it seems as though Puss in Boots is the fan favorite across the globe.
Whether due to Marvel and superhero fatigue, the fact that there was an animated release that wasn’t a Disney film, or that the animation and story were well-done and unique in an era where Disney/Pixar seem to hold the reins, DreamWorks has beaten a Marvel super-giant.
What did you think of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish? Let us know in the comments below!