While “Avatar: The Way of Water” has been owning the winter months, it appears Disney will continue raking in the dough next month with the upcoming release of the Marvel Studios sequel, “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.” The third installment of “Ant-Man” series is tracking for a huge opening weekend, currently estimated at $120 million, per Deadline.
‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Tracking For Huge Opening Weekend
If the tracking data holds, it would give “Quantumania” one of the top three opening weekends for Presidents Day Weekend. The top two are already held by Disney and Marvel Studios with “Black Panther” at No. 1 with $242.1 million in 2018 and the first “Deadpool” movie in 2016 at $152.1 million.
The opening would be a sizable boost for the franchise. The original “Ant-Man” opened with only $57 million in 2015. The film went on to make $180 million domestically and $519 million worldwide. Its first sequel, “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” opened with $75 million in July 2018 before going on to make $216 million domestically and $622 million worldwide.
MEGADeadline notes that the threequel is tracking incredibly high due to the presence of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. Kang is a major villain from the Marvel comics and looks to be a major force in the MCU in the coming years, similar to Thanos in Marvel Studios’ “The Infinity Saga.”
Majors made his MCU debut as He Who Remains, an alternate timeline variant of Kang the Conqueror, in the first season of Marvel’s Loki. However, “Quantumania” will be Majors’ first formal appearance as Kang the Conqueror. Kang is expected to be an overlying threat through the Marvel Cinematic Universe heading into “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which arrives in theaters on May 2, 2025.
The upcoming sequel reunites cast members Paul Rudd as Scott Lang (Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne (The Wasp), Michael Douglas as Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man), and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne (the original Wasp). Bill Murray also joins the cast in an undisclosed role. Also, Kathryn Newton will portray Scott’s daughter, Cassie. Peyton Reed, who directed the first two films, is back for “Quantumania.” He directs the film from a script by Jeff Loveness.
MEGAPicking up events sometime after where the characters left off in “Endgame,” Scott Lang, his daughter Cassie, Hope, and the Pyms are sucked into the Quantum Realm, where they encounter the despotic tyrant Kang. Kang appears to be trapped in the Quantum Realm and attempts to manipulate Ant-Man into helping him escape.
“Quantumania” will effectively kick off the MCU Phase 5. Phases 4-6 of the MCU will encompass what is being called “The Multiverse Saga.” The first three phases were dubbed “The Infinity Saga.” Phase 6 will ultimately conclude with “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which drops in theaters on May 1, 2026. With the presence of Kang, it definitely looks like Phase 4 is starting with a bang.
“Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” releases in theaters on February 17. Marvel Studios also has two more film releases before the year is over with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” on May 5, and “The Marvels” on July 28.
