Bad reviews be damned it would seem as Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” began its domestic box office run with $17.5 million in Thursday previews.
That is considerably ahead of the previous two films. Respectively began with domestic preview earnings of $6 million and $12 million, before going on to opening weekends of $57.2 million and $75.8 million, and final global grosses of $519.3 million and $622.7 million worldwide.
The new film was tracking to collect a franchise-best of $95 million for the three-day and $110 million over the four-day Presidents Day frame (Friday-Monday). That’s one of the top showings for the holiday.
However, those estimates may have to be revised upwards as this preview opening is more in line with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” which snagged $147 million over a three-day May weekend.
“Black Panther” still holds this holiday weekend’s best with $242.2 million followed by “Deadpool” with $152.2 million.
Overseas the film is also off to a muscular start and looks set to gross anywhere from $130-190 million from overseas markets which includes China where the film opens today – the second Marvel project to do so since “Avengers: Endgame” (the first being “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”).
Whilst the box-office numbers are up, the critics scores are down with the film charting at just 48% on Rotten Tomatoes – the second-worst of any film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind only “Eternals” at a very close 47%.
User scores are more in line with the previous films – 84% compared to the 85% of the first and 80% of the second. However the film’s CinemaScore, the exit poll taken of audience members actually leaving the cinema, give the film a ‘B’ – equal to “Eternals” as the worst MCU film to date.
Source: THR
