Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania Posts MCU's Worst Second Weekend Drop
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania's box office suffered the MCU's worst second-weekend drop after its franchise-best opening number.
Amid mixed reviews and competition, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever saw its worst second-weekend drop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The third installment in the Paul Rudd-led franchise, and the first of MCU Phase 5, finds Scott Lang, his daughters Cassie, Hope, Hank, and Janet all sucked into the Quantum Realm by Kang the Conqueror in hopes of escaping back into the Reality. Penned by Rick and Morty alum Jeff Loveness in his MCU debut, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever received mixed reviews from critics.
As the weekend drew to a close, Variety reported that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Fury" suffered the MCU's worst drop in its second weekend at the box office. While grossing an estimated $32.2 million, the Paul Rudd-led trilogy is down 69 percent from its debut, making it Ant-Man's biggest opening weekend. That drop puts Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever ahead of Thor: Love and Thunder at 67%, Black Widow at 67.8% and the Eternals at 62%.
What Ant-Man 3's Box Office Drop Means For MCU's Phase Five
Despite lackluster reviews it's easy to throw any franchise off the hook, as Eternals attests The $402 million Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever drop was tied to the MCU's Phase 5. Over the past year, even loyal fans of the series have begun to experience superhero fatigue, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, and Thor: Love With Thunder is mediocre compared to Taika Waititi's acclaimed predecessor.
On the other hand, however, the Ant-Man films are often seen as the underdogs of the MCU slate, with the first two films receiving generally positive reviews from critics, while also bringing in modest box office grosses of $519 and $622 million, respectively . While anticipation is growing for Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror's MCU debut in Rocky season 1, it seems skepticism about his battle with Rudd's insect hero combined with poor reviews keeps it in line with its predecessor Mediocre box office performance^ Unlike last year's MCU-filled calendar, Marvel head Kevin Feige confirmed the studio is looking to better accelerate its releases, including theaters and Disney+, into Phase 5. While there are two streaming shows, Secret Invasion and Loki Season 2 is confirmed for 2023, and they look even better than last year's release, giving other films a chance to bounce back from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Fury's tough start at the box office in Phase 5.
