Walt Disney Co.’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania generated $104 million in ticket sales in the initial three days of its opening weekend, becoming the first big movie release of the year.
The super-hero film from the company’s Marvel unit exceeded forecasts, which Disney had put at $95 million at the start of the weekend. BoxofficePro had estimated the opening at $103 million. The movie took in $225 million globally, Disney said in a statement Sunday.
The third installment of the Ant-Man series, Quantumania delivered the highest opening of the three. The previous pictures took in $57.2 million in 2015 and $75.8 million in 2018 in their domestic debuts, respectively.
The latest film, which ushers in a fifth phase for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, features returning stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas. Reviews from critics were mostly poor, according to Rotten Tomatoes, with many finding the dialog and plot lacking excitement. Audiences rated it higher.
Rudd plays the title character, donning a supersuit that gives him the ability to shrink or grow, and confers added strength.
Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which debuted in December, dominated the box office early in 2023. Hollywood studios largely stayed on the sidelines in January and the first half of February. March will bring new installments of the Shazam!, Creed and Scream franchises.