The dust has settled, the results are in, and it wouldn’t be unfair to call Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest theatrical failure ever.
Looking at the facts, it’s hard to disagree when the Quantum Realm-set caper is the second worst-reviewed of the franchise’s 31 feature-length installments, the lowest-grossing sequel the ongoing superhero saga has ever seen, and the least commercially successful title to hit multiplexes since the end of Phase One that hasn’t had the pandemic to lean on as an excuse.
Not only that, but Quantumania was projected to lose anywhere up to $150 million by the time it hit streaming and on-demand with its tail tucked firmly between the legs, and the overwhelming sense of apathy has been underlined by the fact a lot of fans are adamant that the post-credits scene serving as a teaser for Loki‘s second season is the highlight of the entire movie.
While it’s fairly innocuous in and of itself, the supremely confident and notoriously ambitious God of Mischief absolutely cowering in fear at the mere sight of variant Victor Timely does a damn sight more to sell the threat of Kang the Conqueror than Ant-Man 3 did, especially when all of the major characters ended the film in pretty much the exact same position as where they began.
The only downside is that Jonathan Majors may or may not be around to pay it off beyond the returning Disney Plus series, with the actor’s career hurtling ever closer towards disaster at an accelerated rate.