The many criticisms being leveled at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have been offset by the fact the latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe secured several notable box office milestones on its way to an opening weekend of over $100 million, but the honeymoon period is over.
Having gone down in ignominy as one of the worst-reviewed of the franchise’s 31 features so far – leaving fans disenchanted for both Phase Five and the Multiverse Saga at large – it appears as though the bad buzz is conspiring to hand director Peyton Reed’s threequel another unwanted MCU record.
Normally, being pitted against R-rated horror comedy Cocaine Bear and faith-based drama Jesus Revolution wouldn’t mean a thing when the most recent installment in history’s most profitable big screen saga is only in its sophomore frame. And yet, a combination of Quantumania backlash and over-performing competition means the ill-judged trip to the Quantum Realm is on track for the biggest second week nosedive the MCU has ever seen.
The latest projections have Ant-Man 3 coming in at only $30 million by the end of Sunday, a staggering 71 percent drop week-to-week. Should those numbers hold, that wouldn’t just be the most notable nosedive Kevin Feige’s comic book monolith has ever seen, but it would take the all-time record from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the single steepest plunge for a film to debut to over $100 million.
In short; things are looking mighty sketchy for the MCU right now, and not even money can cover it up.