Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Ant-Man 3′ Faces Marvel Studios’ Biggest Second Weekend Drop at 70%

    ‘Ant-Man 3′ Faces Marvel Studios’ Biggest Second Weekend Drop at 70%

    The numbers are finally in and it looks like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was able to make up some momentum over the weekend, as while many feared it’ll be the first superhero film to drop above 70% in its second weekend, it held on stronger than expected and entered its second weekend at $32.2M, which is still a sharp 69.7% decline. As of now, it makes it the biggest second-weekend drop for any Marvel Studios offering, which was previously held by Black Widow at 67.8%. It also is above that of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which held the record for the highest superhero drop in its second weekend at 69.1%. Though it could still go up or down depending on adjustments once Sunday’s final numbers are here.

    It had similar critical reception and CinemaScore to Eternals, which managed to hold at 62% during COVID. Even as people want to call this the end of Marvel Studios, the opening does paint a very specific picture of how Marvel films currently operate. They will draw in quite a crowd early on (with varying success depending on the marquee character) but depending on its rewatchability will leg out better or worse. Perhaps Quantumania‘s weirdness and comic book-inspired direction just was too much for audiences, just as much as it wasn’t jelling with critics.

    The film also had a harsher drop internationally with around 70% and currently is on its path to gross anywhere between $470M to $540M according to some estimates. Though it depends on its third weekend potentially inching it back up that could give us a better clue at where it is heading at the moment. Currently, it might make around 215M to 245M domestically. Quantumania currently stands at a still-strong 363.7M worldwide, and an insider seems to paint a different picture than the overreacting internet tends to:

    Marvel takes something away from movie including Black Panther, including Avengers. I can say we’re incredibly proud of the film, Jonathan Majors does a fantastic job as Kang. It’s the movie we wanted to make. Box office is what it is, but it’s not going to stop people from going back to the theaters.

    Quantumania still had a stronger second weekend than the previous two entries as Ant-Man stood at $24M and its sequel at 29M. So, it starts to paint the picture that this film is performing more like a regular Ant-Man threequel after a Captain America: Civil War-like opening. If word-of-mouth was better, the film would’ve had the potential to go much stronger but we’ll see if Marvel Studios has a reaction to it. Still, if it hits the higher parts of its current estimates, the film could still manage to outgross the first entry. The only issue is its much higher budget that probably leaves a bit of a stomach ache for Marvel; though it’s not the “end of Marvel” or “Marvel fatigue” going by its opening alone.

    The lower Chinese market makes all the difference considering both previous entries pulled around $100M+ from that market which hasn’t had a Marvel opening since 2019 and generally saw far weaker performances from most Hollywood productions in that market. As stated earlier, the film is likely to break even at this rate, which is still better than most high-budget releases that we saw last year that faced far worse odds. Also Deadline pointed out that science-fiction shows struggle more in specific markets which we’re also seeing reflected here, as this was the most “out-there” direction the franchise took besides simple space travel to other planets.

    Something worth noting though is that the second weekend may have seen an overall harsher drop, but its Friday-to-Saturday numbers paint a very curious picture. Thor: Love and Thunder dropped around 68% in its second weekend but saw a much softer jump from Friday to Saturday at around 34%. It’s Thursday to Friday was also at around 65%, which could be due to the stronger weekly performance during the summer. Quantumania had a stronger jump than Multiverse of Madness going into its Friday (+119% vs. +111%) and from there going into Saturday (+76% vs. 54%). The Saturday-to-Sunday drop is slightly harsher (-36% vs. -31%) but could be an indicator for its third weekend. The big question is the drop going into Monday and how it carries into the next week.

    The weekend had a surprise opening for Cocaine Bear at $23M, which likely had its male audience take a bigger bite out of Ant-Man than expected. Though the film might also face a harsher drop next weekend, as unlike M3GAN or Violent Night, it got a softer B- CinemaScore with more mixed reactions from audiences. Still, it’s a good opening for the out-there black comedy and likely got its CinemaScore from the amount of gore that was included; something horror films generally struggle with when it comes to audience reception.

    Source: Variety, Twitter, Deadline, The Numbers, The Numbers (Love and Thunder),

  • Simu Liu Teases Shang-Chi’s Return is “Sooner Than You Think”

    Simu Liu Teases Shang-Chi’s Return is “Sooner Than You Think”

    We’ve just entered Phase 5 and it seems the projects are about to get even more connected than before. The Multiverse Saga is truly upon us and while we don’t know who will return when it seems Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ star Simu Liu has teased an earlier return for his character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    In an interview with People, Liu got a chance to share what it’s like being part of this expansive universe filled with very talented actors and creatives bringing their own stamp to a universe that plays by its own rules. The big reveal comes when he says we might “see something sooner than you think” in regard to his return.

    I’m such a big fan of both the characters and the performers that play them, so any collaboration is an opportunity for me to work alongside someone who, in their own way, is breaking barriers and at the very top of their game. I think that’s what excites me the most as a performer, [and] also as a fan. And who knows, they might see something sooner than you think.

    Simu Liu

    Of course, there’s no clear indication when he might appear but there’s a chance that one of the upcoming Phase 5 films could feature Liu‘s Shang-Chi in some capacity. We saw him interact with members of the now-defunct Avengers and perhaps he’ll end up helping out in Captain America: New World Order, or a secret member of the Thunderbolts that have yet to be unveiled. Of course, he might also be hinting at an announcement for a Shang-Chi sequel that has long been rumored.

    Source: People

  • ‘Captain America 4’ Executive Producer Confirms Production Timeline

    ‘Captain America 4’ Executive Producer Confirms Production Timeline

    As Marvel Studios first 2023, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania film works through a rough second weekend in theaters, the company’s first 2024 film is gearing up to begin production. Captain America: New World Order, which will see Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson step into the lead role previously held by Chris Evans‘ Steve Rogers, is slated to hit theaters on May 3rd, 2024 and rumors about its production schedule have been making the rounds over the past few months. Fortunately, Executive Producer Nate Moore put an end to any debate about when cameras will roll on the film.

    While attending the Producers Guild if America Awards in Beverly Hills, Moore revealed that principal photography on Cap 4 is expected to kick off in “3 weeks.”

    That timeline puts New World Order on Pace to begin filming after St. Patrick’s Day with Monday, March 20th looking like a good bet. That means the film’s stars, including Mackie, Harrison Ford and Tim Blake Nelson, could start arriving in Atlanta any day now to prep for shooting for the Phase 5 film.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Director Confirms the Identity of the Triumvirate of Mid-Credit Kangs

    ‘Quantumania’ Director Confirms the Identity of the Triumvirate of Mid-Credit Kangs

    To date, Marvel Studios’ most off-the-wall mid-credit scene came attached to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The scene introduced a thousand or so Kang Variants, most of which were shown so quickly that they were fairly hard to identify; however, three of the Variants had a little more screentime, making it clear they were the first among equals of this Council of Kangs. Two of the three seemed to be pretty one-to-one and obvious adaptations of different Kangs from the comics, but the third one caused some confusion even among comic book fans.

    Thankfully, director Peyton Reed took the time to identify the key Variants in an interview with ET. Though he looked a bit Robocop, fans easily identified the Variant known as Rama-Tut, about who Reed said “we sort of bent [him] up a little bit and made him this very strange sort of bionic variant of Rama-Tut.” Like Rama-Tut, Immortus, too, was pretty easily recognizable; however, the third member of the group didn’t really have much in common, at least aesthetically, with any of Kang’s comic book selves. And so while fans assumed he was probably a version of the Scarlet Centurion, the next most prominent version of Kang from the comics, uncertainty lingered until Reed came to the rescue.

    We knew we wanted to sort of just give a tiny taste of the potential of what some of these Kang variants are and brief nods to [Pharaoh] Rama-Tut, [Scarlet] Centurion, Immortus.

    Peyton Reed

    Scarlet Centurion it is! Of course, while they are all Variants of the Prime Kang (have we met him yet?), each of these Variants has different experiences and often different goals in the comics. Despite all that, they seem to be working together, at least to some extent and are very concerned about the fact that more and more heroes are discovering the Multiverse. While there will certainly be more time spent with these Variants soon, they are shaping up to be quite a force to be reckoned with in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    Source: ET

  • ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Passes $300M Worldwide

    ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Passes $300M Worldwide

    All eyes are currently on that second-weekend drop for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as it’s expected to potentially end up as the biggest drop for any Marvel Studios or even superhero film. There’s, of course, the chance that it’s weaker than expected Thursday may have ended up pulling expectations far back, as originally most expected something around 35M to 40M. Now, it’s uncertain where it’ll land above $30M.

    Naturally, the usual big superhero drop in its second weekend has the Internet going: “Marvel is dead” and the usual gloating about one singular film’s performance. It’s even happened with films that have performed quite well throughout the last year. So, there are also some positive things to report on that may get overshadowed in the usual discourse online.

    As of now, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has already passed the $300M box office benchmark worldwide. It currently stands at $143M domestically and $160M internationally, which means it pulled in a total of $303M as of this Friday. With the film likely set to wrap around 30M over the weekend there’s still a chance it’ll end its second weekend with $350M worldwide.

    Some might still be scratching their heads though on what exactly is going on. Even Eternals with a B rating had a stronger hold going into its second weekend. So, what exactly is the cause for Ant-Man 3‘s current drop in its second weekend? The film did perform quite well with younger audiences that only make up around 16% of its viewing basis. Cocaine Bear is likely to pull in young adults and especially male audiences that took a bigger chunk than expected, as that film is currently performing quite well on its Friday (doing even better than the Marvel entry).

    So, the audience just wasn’t as strong on a Friday as it could’ve been and the counter-programming had a bigger overlap than initially expected. February also hasn’t seen any major releases in quite some time since before the pandemic. So, the market is much harder to predict and this weekend is quite a bit softer than the previous one. There’s a massive blockbuster summer ahead and there’s a chance that “okay” or “just good” isn’t enough to keep viewers in theaters while they’re saving for what’s coming.

    Plus, the US saw quite a few strong storms, which may also have not really tempted people to leave for the theater as fast as possible, especially families. If these are a potential factor going into the weekend, they may potentially balance out in the third weekend but that depends on how this weekend generally goes.

    So, word-of-mouth not being as strong as it could’ve been is just holding the film back quite a bit more in a non-summer market. There’s also the question if Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania took too big of a step from what the general audience is used to. The first two films are very grounded and light-hearted offerings. So, the big major addition of Kang the Conqueror combined with a full-on weird sci-fi epic direction just was “too different” to really get people coming back.

    Thor: Love and Thunder had a similar drop in development when compared to just a better weekly performance due to its July release. Yet, it also was far more in the comedy direction when even compared to Thor: Ragnarok and previous films, which may have just left audiences having an issue connecting with what they expected to be another Thor film.

    Science fiction also has generally struggled at times, especially internationally in Eastern markets as highlighted by Deadline. Eternals had the luck that it had one of South Korea’s biggest actors as part of its main cast, which created a surprising boost even with its high sci-fi concept mixed with a more indie film approach. And it’s too early to even describe a $300M movie as a flop, as we’re only in its second weekend.

    Still, as pointed out by The Wrap, the film’s international box office in China hasn’t really left an impression with its $19.2M opening either. It’s also set for a harsher drop in that market but there’s generally a lot of momentum lost in that market for Hollywood productions over the pandemic. So, the film is only going to get a little boost out of it and likely won’t get anywhere near the other Ant-Man films in that market.

    As of now, we don’t know where the second weekend will end up and have no idea if the film might have a softer third weekend. If people rushed to the theaters to see Kang and the future of the MCU, they drop might be easier to explain as tepid word-of-mouth just didn’t add the “must watch now” replay value. Disney+’s 45-day strategy also hurt the industry and some might think it’s just worth waiting it out until it releases there.

    Marvel Studios might be smart and extend theatrical windows publicly to ensure audiences know the wait is going to be much longer, but they also may be reactionary to get it to the streaming service and it may even rival Eternals as one of the most viewed offerings on the service. So, if the film isn’t a seller on the first view, word-of-mouth is just harsher as post-Endgame expectations still remain at an all-time high; so let’s please not bring in Marvel fatigue to the discussion as the opening still hints at interest.

    If we try to predict with the data we have now, the film might likely have similar legs to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which would be a multiplier of 2.2. The Friday-to-Friday drop would match the 81%, as it currently stands at 82% unadjusted. So, if it manages to stay below the feared 70% drop, it could still somewhat leg out in its third weekend. With a similar projection, it could end up at around 230M domestically.

    It should be noted that its Thursday to Friday drop is better than Doctor Strange‘s at 119% vs. 111% but that was also during the summer. Thor: Love and Thunder had a 80% drop in its Friday-to-Friday but ended up with a much worse 68% drop in its second weekend. Quantumania still has some potential depending on Saturday to dodge that number. So, it could have surprisingly better legs with a multiplier of 2.35 like Love and Thunder. That would put it at around 250M. Worst case, it’s another Batman v Superman and we have a soft 2x multiplier and we end up slightly above 200M.

    So, there is potential that the film could end up between $500M and $550M with China included. The first Ant-Man made $518M but if you take out China actually only stands at 413M. Its sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp was slightly above $623M but without China is actually at 503M. So, if with Chinese box office likely ends up at around 40M, the film could end up making more than its previous entry with 510M. The budget is much higher at around a predicted $200M but it would still technically break even and make most of its profits through digital and physical sales.

    Source: The Numbers, The Wrap, The Numbers (Multiverse of Madness), The Numbers (Love and Thunder), The Numbers (Ant-Man), The Numbers (A&TW), The Guardian

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’ May End its 2nd Weekend With Superhero Genre’s Biggest Drop Ever

    ‘Ant-Man 3’ May End its 2nd Weekend With Superhero Genre’s Biggest Drop Ever

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania still had some momentum leaving its first week with a strong Monday holiday, but quickly slipped throughout the week to Marvel’s second-worst Thursday at 3.7M only beating Thor: The Dark World. Now, the second weekend has finally started and while most expected it to move around 60% to 65%, we’re about to face a much harsher weekend for the Marvel Studios latest than expected.

    The film has been overshadowed by Cocaine Bear going into its Friday, which pulled in a strong $8.65M including Thursday previews against Ant-Man 3 that pulled in $8.3M (a harsh 82% drop which is higher than that of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Of course, it technically is behind Quantumania but gets that premiere Thursday boost. Still, the film is expected to open above $20M at this rate and is looking to showcase the staying power for some bloody good action in theaters.

    Right behind it is Jesus Revolution which has a very strong audience performance and is also expected to open strongly thanks to its faith-based core audience. Both are still not expected to dethrone Ant-Man this weekend but the film is set to potentially drop between 67% to 72%. Right now, everyone is losing a bit of faith and believes the drop might be on the harsher end, which would make it the biggest drop for any Marvel Studios film and potentially even superhero films in general.

    So, what exactly is going on? The Friday drop was a harsh 82% and now has the third lowest second Friday, as it still is holding better than Eternals and Black Widow, but it also had a bigger opening than both. Right now, the question is if it’ll still manage 30M or surprise with 35M after all after that sharp drop. The lowest holder of the second-weekend drop is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at 69.1%, which adds to the weight if this film will even stick around below 70%. So far, the only blockbuster that had this high of a drop was the last Harry Potter film at 72%.

    It’s hard to say but word-of-mouth isn’t really pushing it as strongly as it could. There’s a chance that most that weren’t fully sold on the film are just going to wait for the Disney+ release and that is why there’s no rush to see it in theaters, as with 3 1/2 PostTrack rating it wasn’t deemed terrible just didn’t sell audiences on it being a must-watch (mixed word-of-mouth doesn’t always translate to terrible film). We’ll have to see where it truly lands this weekend as it’s expected to have a better Saturday but at best it might rival Thor: Love and Thunder‘s weekend drop which was 67.7%.

    Source: Twitter, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Numbers

  • ‘Cocaine Bear’ Lines Up a B- CinemaScore

    ‘Cocaine Bear’ Lines Up a B- CinemaScore

    It looks like an Internet sensation. Cocaine Bear has finally received its CinemaScore and it has now landed at a B-. That is surprising given that the first trailer and its current Rotten Tomatoes rating have it more on the positive side. With a 74% Audience Score and 71% Critic Reception would bode well for the film, but the usual horror fair just doesn’t always jell with audiences and commonly lands in the B section.

    The only difference this time around is that it’s more on the negative side. It’s no Infinity Pool C-, but it’s a far cry from Violent Night‘s B+ and M3GAN‘s B rating. While discussions are hot with the scoring system, especially after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s more wacky take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended with a B score, there’s an interesting discussion to have about the fidelity of this rating.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1629367611820589058

    Even smaller blockbusters like Plane and Missing only end up with a B or B+ while we’ve rarely seen films get an A+ rating. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has some astounding legs on par with Top Gun: Maverick in some respects but only has an A ranking. Even Avatar: The Way of Water is playing like an A+ feature with just an A ranking.

    Not every film that is critically panned also gets the same reaction from audiences, as Jesus Revolution stands at a proud A+, but the faith-based film has a very different core audience than the 56% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics would make you think, as it has a 99% Audience Score. Always curious to wonder

    Source: CinemaScore, Twitter

  • ‘The Umbrella Academy’s Final Season Adds Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally

    ‘The Umbrella Academy’s Final Season Adds Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally

    One of Netflix’s biggest releases is about to wrap up with its final season, as The Umbrella Academy is gearing up to start filming soon. The series made quite a splash for the streaming service as it continued to grow with big-name IPs. Sadly, we’re about to see it come to an end but it seems like they are going all out with the final season.

    ET has shared that Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman have joined Umbrella Academy. The actually married couple is set to play “a mild-mannered married couple named Jean and Gene, who are college professors” in the upcoming final season. Mullally revealed it to ET during the premiere of Party Down’s third season though she also highlights that “the deal’s not quite closed but let’s just pretend it is.”

    It’s quite a power move to just reveal that you’re cast in a big-budget show without having finalized the deal, but the power couple certainly can. Nick Offerman was just recently in the spotlight for his mesmerizing performance in The Last of Us and it’s great to see him already eyeing his next project. Mullally also revealed that she was the one o convince her husband to take on the role, as he almost would’ve passed on it due to being so busy.

    Source: ET

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’s [SPOILER] Is Open for a MODOK Prequel

    ‘Ant-Man 3’s [SPOILER] Is Open for a MODOK Prequel

    The following article includes spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. So, only read it at your own risk.

    One of Marvel Studios’ worst-kept secrets was the return of Corey Stoll in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. We got the return of Darren Cross but in quite a different way than some may have hoped. No longer was he wearing the Yellowjacket suit but rather has become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on the iconic Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, or MODOK for short.

    In an interview with ComicBook.com, Stoll got a chance to share his thoughts on the role and it seems he’s definitely down to return. He’d be open to potentially exploring a prequel story on his time as MODOK before the events of Quantumania, though he’s not sure if audiences would be able to “take him seriously after” Quantumania.

    I think having gone so comedic with this, it would be fun to maybe go back before the events of this movie and see him as this really scary, mechanized organism designed only for killing. But I don’t know if the audience could take him seriously after the events of this movie. So it could be fun to see him actually try to be an Avenger.

    Corey Stoll

    Given the ending of the Ant-Man threequel, there’s some uncertainty if they made MODOK a one-and-done villain but with the multiverse at large, they could bring him back in creative ways. Nothing is impossible in the multiverse but there’s a chance the character might become a fan-favcorite given enough time. Quantumania has been fighting its way through critical reception and a more mellowed-out WOM but given time it still has a lot of potentials to become the jumping-off point for some exciting stories.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Cocaine Bear’ Rages to Strong $2M Thursday Previews

    ‘Cocaine Bear’ Rages to Strong $2M Thursday Previews

    It’s going to be an exciting weekend for counterprogramming, as while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is still expected to dominate the weekend, we have two projects trying to make an impression going into the weekend. The one with everyone’s eyes on it is the dark comedy Cocaine Bear directed by Elizabeth Banks (not a joke).

    It’s already off to a strong start with $2M in its Thursday previews. It also has a strong 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with a PostTrak of four stars. It’s likely to join the B horror CinemaScore club alongside M3GAN, which was a standout release earlier this year as counter-programming.

    It should also be noted that the film is higher than Violent Night‘s $1.1.M which managed to grow to $49.8M in the States but not quite M3GAN‘s $2.75M in previews. The former had a strong $13M opening while M3GAN pulled in a 30M opening weekend. So, a potential $20M does seem possible though most predictions still have it at around $15M to $17M. Still, the film based on a true story (also no joke) is going to make a splash at the box office an continue Universal’s steady release of mid-range films pulling strong numbers during the pandemic.

    The only other big opening this weekend is the faith-based Jesus Revolution. It stands at a five-star PostTrak and it has pulled in $2M in its Wednesday previews and added $940K on Thursday. So, it technically pulled in $3.3M since Wednesday but it’ll likely end the weekend at $10M.

    Still, all eyes are on how Quantumania will perform in its second weekend, as while it already stands at $135M domestically, it did not have a robust week after a rather sturdy $14.2M Presidents Day Monday. So, either most of its audiences showed up on the extended weekend and that is why it took a hit, but it dropped to $3.8M on Wednesday and $3.7M this Thursday.

    As of now, expectations range from $35M to $40M which would still be in the usual 60%+ drop for Marvel films that we’ve seen with many others. Box Office pro currently projects around $38M which would be a 64% drop, not the worst in Marvel history. The Friday box office will be the clear indicator of where the film will land. Either way, it’s still expected to hold the top spot for the weekend.

    Source: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Box Office Pro