Photo: Marvel Studios
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest release, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," has suffered a significant decline in box office sales in its second week. The film, which opened with a respectable $106.1 million in its first weekend, saw a 69.8% drop in ticket sales, bringing in only $31.9 million in its second weekend. This decline marks the sharpest drop in ticket sales from the opening to the second weekend in franchise history.
Admittedly, "Quantumania" is not well-received among critics, with a 48% "rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film has garnered an 83% audience rating, suggesting that fans have enjoyed it. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that blockbuster movies often experience a significant drop in ticket sales from the first weekend to the second, as early adopters tend to rush to the theaters to see new releases. Marvel's other 30 films have ranged from a 44% decline for 2018's "Black Panther" to a 67.8% drop for the pandemic-released "Black Widow." Notably, "Thor: Love and Thunder," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home," a co-production with Sony, all saw second-week drops of more than 67%. However, "Love and Thunder" went on to collect $760 million globally, "Multiverse of Madness" snared $952 million during its worldwide run, and "No Way Home" nearly reached $2 billion in ticket sales.
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Despite the decline in ticket sales, Marvel's recent focus on the concept of the multiverse has been a major draw for fans. "Quantumania" introduces the villain Kang, who presents a significant threat to the series of alternate realities in the MCU. The film follows the events of "Avengers: Endgame," which introduced the idea of time travel and the multiverse to the MCU. Marvel has since expanded on this concept, exploring the ripple effects of the Avengers' tinkering with the multiverse.
The fact that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is one of Marvel's weakest movies could also explain the steep decline in its box office performance. The visual creativity that was evident in the previous Ant-Man films, particularly the shrinking, and enlarging of objects, was largely absent in this latest installment. Moreover, the characters were underdeveloped, with Kang's desire to eliminate universes remaining unexplained, and Cassie's relentless criticisms of her superhero father, which felt unnecessary. Furthermore, Lilly's Wasp character was barely noticeable, despite the movie supposedly focusing on her. It is worth noting that this may have been influenced by the actress's promotion of anti-vax propaganda during the pandemic. Ultimately, the overall effect was a movie that lacked the spirit of the previous Ant-Man films and failed to break new ground. It felt like Marvel was simply going through the motions, creating a movie that merely teased its next few films. While it is one thing to be bad while attempting to do something ambitious, the awfulness of "Quantumania" feels more egregious because it stems from a lack of ambition.
All in all, it is worth highlighting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now heavily focused on the concept of the multiverse. The idea is that there are multiple timelines running parallel to the main timeline of the MCU, each containing different versions of the heroes and villains we know. The villain Kang and his various forms represent the most significant threat to this series of alternate realities. "Endgame" initiated this entire storyline, revealing that if the heroes could shrink themselves (Ant-Man's specialty) and enter the Quantum Realm, where time moves slower, they could travel back in time, acquire Infinity Stones, and defeat Thanos, the big bad. The Avengers then had to return the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines to preserve their continuity. After "Endgame," Marvel explored the ripple effect of the Avengers' meddling with the multiverse, paving the way for the future of the MCU.