If Black Panther faced increased pressure due to its close proximity to Avengers: Infinity War, then spare a thought for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The Peyton Reed-directed sequel has been angled as the follow-up act to what is undoubtedly the MCU’s most ambitious, far-reaching film yet. And with that comes a particular set of expectations.
Mind you, the original Ant-Man movie carved out its own little corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2015, along with a global haul of $513 million, so it’d be foolish to write off the sequel’s chances of success. Speaking of which, with a new Infinity War trailer in the pipeline and news of ticket sales going live tomorrow, Joe and Anthony Russo have spoken to Screen Rant about their all-star crossover and the way in which it leaves the door open for Ant-Man 2.
Joe Russo: They all lead in in their own way, I think. As far as plot elements that actually drive towards the story, again, I think Marvel does a great job of segmenting the movies so that you can have your own experience in each film. I think from a plot standpoint, if there’s any corollary, Ant-Man and the Wasp probably has some elements that stitch in.
Anthony Russo: But we can’t talk about that.
And it’ll be set just before Avengers: Infinity War, which itself takes place two or three years after Captain America: Civil War. It’s all very confusing, but perhaps the easiest way to stay on top of Ant-Man and the Wasp is to remember that, chronologically speaking, it runs parallel to Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther movie, which is still clutching on to that box office crown as we approach its fifth weekend on the market.
Infinity War, meanwhile, is expected to light up theaters the world over on April 27th.
