Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Ant-Man and The Wasp

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’ Conquers a $46M Friday Opening at the Box Office

    ‘Ant-Man 3’ Conquers a $46M Friday Opening at the Box Office

    The numbers are in and after a very strong $17.5M Thursday preview showing for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it seems the film managed to pull in a strong $46M haul over Friday at the domestic market. As such, there’s a good chance the film will at least pull in $100M over three days at the box office; though the recent B CinemaScore could slow down its momentum. Still, the film is the biggest in the trilogy as Ant-Man opened to $57.2M; the smallest MCU start; and Ant-Man and the Wasp managed to pull in $75.8M. They grew from previews at around $6M and $12M respectively.

    The film is now the third-highest Friday grosser in February and is on track to make around $115M over the four-day weekend. There have been some that believe it could go even higher towards $120M but the current critical reception may make that a bit difficult. 62% of the audience seemingly purchased their tickets in advance or even on the day still makes for a strong opening overall for the film. Audiences seem to give it a 3 1/2 star overall and while it has similar lows like Eternals, this entry has a bit more going for it that could entice audiences long-term.

    Kang’s arrival was the main selling point and that could definitely be something that’ll keep audiences interested to check it out in case they missed anything. Creed 3 is also around the corner starring Jonathan Majors, which may boost the film for those wanting to compare his performances. IMAX made up 43% and is showcasing that the format may become a great way to build more revenue for cinemas. The big test remains on how the film will perform overall at the box office, as it’s unclear if it’ll manage to pull $700M+ with its current rating.

    A $600M run does seem very possible but just how high it goes depends on the drop in the next weekend. The Box office is looking at a lot of competition in the coming weeks but that actually makes for a good thing, as the last few years have been dead at the theaters. So, the more releases there are, the more momentum theater chains get in visitors. Some might come back to check out the Ant-Man threequel and it seems he movie performed very well with families. Perhaps that kind of demographic could make all the difference and push the film towards a 2.3 or even 2.4 multiplier.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With Lowest MCU CinemaScore

    ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With Lowest MCU CinemaScore

    There’s been quite a discourse online about the quality of the recent Marvel movies. The critical reception of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has reawakened discussion points that have been around since all the way back in Phase 2, as the franchise continues to exist in a cycle of quality discussions. Still, even with a mixed critical reception with 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Audience Score is quite a bit more positive with 84% of audiences seemingly enjoying the film.

    Still, the CinemaScore is a classic way to see where the film’s overall word-of-mouth might land and it seems that audiences are also mostly mixed with the very frontloaded scoring. The film has now been the second Marvel Cinematic Universe film to receive a B CinemaScore. Audiences are seemingly a bit mixed on the film but it’s interesting that the second high sci-fi attempt by Marvel Studios ends up with a similar rating.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1626871462463262720

    One thing often overlooked is that the CinemaScore does not mean people hate the film, they just simply thought it was okay; a general sentiment you see online. There’s also always a chance that certain elements in the film just don’t jive with audiences. Horror films generally don’t do better than a B or B+ due to the elements included in the film that define the genre. Not every blockbuster film pulls in an A ranking like the recent Plane also landed at a B+.

    It’s just unusual for Marvel to have this many B ratings throughout the last two years but also not a complete defining trait of the franchise. They’ve been more experimental and that is reflected by these films not always being “crowd pleasers across the board.” The big thing here is if the film will have legs moving forward though even 2022’s B+ films did manage to pull in quite a box office over its run. We’ll have to see though if this B scoring will slowly come to an end as Marvel Studios reshuffles.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Twitter

  • All Roads LED Here: Marvel’s Future with Stagecraft May End

    All Roads LED Here: Marvel’s Future with Stagecraft May End

    If there ever was a piece of technology that went from being “the future” to having the Internet complain about it ruining experiences, it would be Stagecraft. The technology is quite simple, as it makes use of LED screens and pre-rendered elements to give actors something to act from. The Mandalorian popularized it and it became a useful tool during COVID and put Industrial Light & Magic on the map for many productions.

    Cinematographer Greig Fraser has been a strong proponent against the use of greenscreen (but still uses them heavily for some of his biggest projects under new names like “Sand Screens” in Dune) and was one of the first to push the technology forward. He went on to make good use of the Stagecraft in The Batman after pioneering it for The Mandalorian. Still, even that great film couldn’t avoid some people feeling it was a little flat in its design give or take.

    As its use went on, that complaint started to pick up more and more speed. It got to a point where the main criticism was that this technology creates a lifeless experience and truly only creates something that is “too polished.” Not really great for every project already filming at the time as its criticism took centerstage. Marvel went all in with projects potentially making good use of it, Thor: Love and Thunder, the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the just-released Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Marvel is already constantly under a magnifying glass for its use of a green screen and CG over the years. Especially once the pandemic hit, it felt like a free-for-all on what problems one can find and focus primarily on the few times it just wasn’t 100% right. So, the use of a technology that is already at a stage of heavy criticism during a time when filmmaking was at its most difficult was going to face some new challenges.

    Thor: Love and Thunder was the first to release that technology and the criticism of flat backgrounds has returned. Many discussions online were questioning what was the cause: bad lighting or just generally if the technology is too early for the big screen given how limited it is in scope. Its use, however, was highly praised by those working on the projects in how they combined real set pieces with the technology giving them more flexibility.

    It’s a strange fight, as there’s an expectation that “shot on set is always better,” which is definitely the case given its tangibility, but also downplays the value of this technology and its use. We want to move away from greenscreen but also push away any alternatives, especially for projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that explore a completely foreign world. Director Peyton Reed has experience working with the tech and likely was excited to return to its use.

    The film also received similar criticism due to the technology and the usual CG comments that have dominated Marvel discourse for quite some time now. It starts blending together where it’s difficult to truly tell if it’s Stagecraft or the CG that makes it difficult as a topic overall. Though some have also praised the CG and Quantumania‘s very mixed reception creates a difficult point of discourse. Yahoo’s review of the film just called it “almost wholly on green screens” which just completely sidelines the tech while, for example, CNet‘s just generally praises the world created.

    CG is a sour topic and Marvel became quite the focus given its size and popularity. Post-Endgame, there’s also a big “it’s not like it used to be” mentality that has just been pushed forward by the pandemic’s restrictions on the industry. A film like Quantumania also will rely more on CG given that it takes place fully in a non-realistic world and given its design choices, it wanted to be as wacky as possible; something praised and loathed from one review to the next.

    We know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was initially announced to use the technology; another franchise that makes a lot of use of greenscreens and sets given its space-focused storyline. Yet, James Gunn seemingly decided against its use due to it not being able to bring his vision to life for the final film in his trilogy. So, he would’ve used it if it were fitting for what he was trying to accomplish.

    By all accounts, that would seemingly be the end of its use with this week’s release of Quantumania. Yet, there is one more hint that exists for use on The Marvels. Sadly, it’s just a very unreliable source in the form of IMDb. The upcoming Captain Marvel sequel includes credits for Stagecraft artists Robb Gardner, supervisor Christopher Django Johnston, and more. The only thing is, there’s no real official announcement about the use of the technology.

    So far, we haven’t had any official announcements for future projects and it almost seems like they won’t be focusing their use on the technology moving forward. Select projects like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did not make use of the tech. So, they aren’t forcing it into every project and there’s definitely a surprising silence on its future use after heavy promotion for Quantumania.

    At this rate, it does seem like they aren’t going to rely too heavily on it anymore. It should also be noted that all productions released this year used the technology in 2021 while COVID was still at a high point. Thor: Love and Thunder was produced in 2020 when it was even unpredictable, which makes the expectation of its necessity higher. Yet, we’re about to enter a very different era for Marvel Studios’ productions.

    It should be noted that non of the 2024 releases have even started filming just yet. In a way, we’re returning to some normalcy and their usual production schedule from before the pandemic moving forward. There hasn’t been a single production in 2022, which is curious and perhaps a showcase of rearranging pieces around the board. Quantumania was originally the ending of Phase 4 and the reception seems to hgihlight that.

    Stagecraft might still get used but we shouldn’t expect any major promotions of its use for future titles. It probably will only be a sparing addition to production if there ever is truly a necessity given whatever the production is working on. Perhaps this year will signal the final “COVID era productions” from Marvel Studios with a potential new future going into the next year. Phase 5 may have not kicked off how some wanted, but it doesn’t mean Marvel is truly over, it may just be getting started once again.

    Source: YouTube, GameRant, IndieWire, DisInsider, Movieweb, IndieWire, Total Film, IMDb, ILM

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With a Rotten Rating

    ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With a Rotten Rating

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did not open to considerable fanfare on Rotten Tomatoes with most of the review scores landing it at around 63%. As usual, it tends to go down slowly and as it already was on the border of being a “Rotten” score, it has not passed that limit with 95 reviews to a score of 58%. As such, it’s only the second MCU film to receive this type of rating after Eternals’ ended up with 47% on 406 reviews.

    Is it the end times of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Probably not, and it’s still on course to make quite an opening. There’s also the fact that general moviegoers are analyzed through a separate CinemaScore that could go either way. Eternals had the franchises’ first B score and it’s uncertain if the same will be true for Quantumania. Even the Venom films have a B+ score with a 30% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes critics. Ironically, that film has an 80% audience score, which we won’t see until the end of the weekend for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    The film’s biggest problems according to critics might play in its favor for those fans just waiting to see the franchise expand again. Phase 4 was known for being a bit more individual with its projects without a proper “endgame” which this film adds to the franchise’s next two phases. So, who knows where it might end up with audiences but it’s hard to say.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes

  • Marvel Studios and Peyton Reed Have Already Begun Conversations about ‘Ant-Man 4’

    Marvel Studios and Peyton Reed Have Already Begun Conversations about ‘Ant-Man 4’

    The notion that Marvel heroes would disappear after a trilogy of films went out the door when the studio greenlit Thor: Love and Thunder, and began development on Spider-Man 4. Now, it seems the MCU’s tiniest hero may be next in line for a fourth film.

    According to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania producer Stephan Broussard, a fourth installment in the Ant-Man franchise is more than just a possibility; it’s already being discussed.

    “We’re already thinking about it,” Broussard told Comic Book. “It’s like, every movie’s its own battle and you bear the scars of making it and wanting to make it great. But hope springs eternal and you start to put yourself back together after the journey of making the movie. You’re like, ‘Yeah, what if we did X and what if we did Y?’ Like the wheels start turning, you can’t help yourself,” explained the producer.

    Of note, Broussard also revealed that director Peyton Reed has been involved in the early discussions about the fourth film. “I don’t want to say anything about specifically what those are,” said Broussard, ” but yeah, you can’t help yourself. Those conversations, those whispers have already started to happen between myself and Peyton and Kevin.”

    After replacing Edgar Wright at the last minute on 2015’s Ant-Man, Reed has become a favorite of Kevin Feige. He played a major role in the push to make Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania the big event films it became and has no shortage of big ideas. Should Reed end up helming the fourth film, he would be the first director to lead four MCU films in the same franchise and join the Russo Brothers in the four-timer squad!

    Source: Comic Book

  • Marvel Studios Publishing Scott Lang’s Memoir From ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    Marvel Studios Publishing Scott Lang’s Memoir From ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to get a look into the mind of Scott Lang, you’re in luck. Marvel has unveiled that they are publishing the book Look Out for The Little Guy which is inspired by the novel written by Scott Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    The book is set to hit bookstores and was created in cooperation between Marvel Studios, the filmmakers, and Hyperion Avenue, which will explore what truly happened between the Avengers and Thanos. The statement shared by Lang is the following:

    Once upon a time I was just a guy living a normal life who committed a crime (for the greater good!), unfortunately, went away for a couple of years, got out and became a Super Hero, joined the Avengers, went down to the Quantum Realm, and then came back and saved the universe. You know, typical dad stuff. Dive into the pages of my new book, Look Out for the Little Guy, to read all about what it’s like to be the little guy (and sometimes, the very, very big guy) overcoming all the odds to help defeat Thanos

    Scott Lang

    The book will include 20 pieces on Scott Lang’s time as Ant-Man and is set to release September 5th. It’s already available as a preorder for those willing to take a look into the story of Avengers’ smallest yet biggest hero. It’ll be a must-buy for anyone who wants a deeper look into what it’s like living in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Marvel

  • Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    It’s become more and more difficult to truly project just how much money a film will make at the box office. Most of the 2020 holdovers were the only ones to beat early projects going into last year with Top Gun: Maverick and Minions: Rise of Gru. Still, Marvel films remained reliable box office performers even as they hit a sophomore slump, not too surprising with a franchise event like Avengers: Endgame that would normally wrap up any other franchise.

    Still, there are some early projects coming in on how their first Phase 5 entry may perform at the box office. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is only a few more weeks away for hitting theaters and early projects seem to have the film potentially earning between $96M to $131M in its opening weekend. with their usual performance of a strong drop in its second weekend, there’s a chance the film could end between $249M to $347M in its domestic run.

    With good word-of-mouth, the film may become the first $100M+ opener for the year and that’s in a strong February market. The film has the advantage of no real competition until Shazam: Fury of the Gods in March though Creed 3 has the potential to take the top spot in the domestic market. There’s also the Dungeons & Dragons film hitting theaters in late March.

    It should be noted for those ready to call this a potential bust for Marvel Studios, the film would still have the biggest domestic gross for any part of the Ant-Man franchise if it hits the lower end of the projections. Ant-Man managed to pull in $180M while its sequel had a slight boost to $216M. Plus, the last entry was five years ago and the main antagonist of the current Multiverse Saga might make it a “don’t miss” for fans that will check out the film early on.

    Also, its opening may double the initial opening weekend at the domestic box office, which was around $57M. It’s sequel opened to $75M, which makes this the potential biggest opener for the franchise. It’ll also have the biggest budget for an Ant-Man entry, which means the expectations are higher. The February release also opens up some questions on how it’ll perform but Marvel could still prove to be a reliable performer at the box office going into its fifth phase.

    Source: Box Office Pro

  • ‘Quantumania’ Producer Teases an “Epic Sci-Fi War” in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Sequel

    ‘Quantumania’ Producer Teases an “Epic Sci-Fi War” in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Sequel

    Ant-Man is about to wrap up its trilogy in style with the arrival of Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film will seemingly move away from the more light-hearted direction the franchise took to include some of its darkest moments, especially going by its trailers.

    IIn a new press release for the film, Stephen Broussard, who is the Marvel Studios Vice-President of Production and Development, teased that the film is going to be an “epic sci-fi war movie,” further showcasing that this isn’t going to be your usual Ant-Man adventure. Though, he still calls it “a family adventure first and foremost” but all that changes once they enter the Quantum Realm.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is many things. It’s a family adventure first and foremost. It’s the story of a family of Super Heroes basically being pulled into an adventure within the Quantum Realm, and within that, 3 it becomes an epic sci-fi war movie and a coming-of-age story. It’s a lot of different things wrapped into one film.

    Stephen Broussard

    It’s definitely an exciting prospect to not only see the franchise jump fully into the science-fiction aspects we were teased throughout the Infinity Saga. The Quantum Realm was an important milestone for the Avengers to find a way to reverse what Thanos has done to the world. Now, it seems whatever they did will catch up with the Ant-family.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a game-changer for Marvel Studios. More than just a significant tonal shift from Captain America: The First Avenger, it was a significant tonal shift from pretty much every film that Marvel Studios had released before it and set the path for one of the main plot threads of the Infinity Saga. It’s fair to say that its impact is still being felt as Marvel Studios moves through the Multiverse Saga which will continue when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 on February 17th. There’s been plenty of big talk about the big plans for Quantumania, especially by director Peyton Reed, but according to producer Stephan Broussard, it’s set to be a Winter Soldier-level game-changer.

    Having served as a producer on Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man and The Wasp, Broussard is uniquely positioned to see the similarities between the major shift in directions for both franchises. In describing the impact Quantumania will have on the future of the MCU, Broussard pulled no punches.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a stand-alone movie with a storyline that will have a significant impact on the future of the MCU. We talk about movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which you saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it felt like the entirety of the MCU turned on that. Captain America: Civil War was another film where you saw heroes divided and in camps and battle lines being drawn—it really felt like the future of the MCU was going to be defined by the action of that film. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward.

    Stephan Broussard
    Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    The events of the film will set the stage for multiple upcoming MCU films, something Reed described as “extremely exciting” and not something MCU fans probably expected out of the Ant-Man franchise. Fans of the previous two Ant-Man films should not despair, however, that the third installment will lose focus on the core of what the franchise has always been about: the relationship between Scott and Cassie.

    One of our philosophies that we’ve always applied at the studio is to just go back to character and to root it in character, and the science-fiction and the world-building is fun but ultimately it’s window dressing to the characters who are on this journey. I think as
    long as we never forget that this is a story about a father and his daughter reconnecting, which essentially is what this film is, then the headiness of the multiverse, the headiness of the Quantum Realm sorts itself out because you only need to understand that it’s a father-and-daughter story.

    Stephan Broussard

    Cassie, now played by Kathryn Newton, has always been the apple of Scott’s eye and now that his life has calmed down after the events of Avengers: Endgame, he’s hoping to make up for lost time with his little girl…who is no longer so little. “I really wanted to explore that relationship between Scott and Cassie“, said Reed. “How does Scott relate to her now that she’s an adult?“, he continued. “Cassie is an idealist—she wants to do good in the world, but she’s still trying to figure out what that means for her. She’s trying to find her voice as a young woman. She can be quite critical of her dad, so we had fun with some of the generational divide between father and daughter in this movie.”

    Big action and big heart should make for a big success, giving fans more of what they’ve enjoyed in the first two films while giving others more of what they have been asking for when the film hits theaters next month.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    Jonathan Majors isn’t playing Kang the newly-elected President of the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Rather, the talented actor is playing Kang the Conqueror, who director Peyton Reed calls “the most powerful being in the multiverse”, and the Quantum Realm will have spent a considerable amount of time learning that lesson when the Ant-Family arrives there in Quantumania.

    As much as the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise will tell the story of Scott, Hope, Cassie, Janet and Hank, it will also tell the story of the Quantum Realm and its inhabitants who it would seem are among the first to fall under Kang’s rule. Though it played a major role in the events of Avengers: Endgame, fans have only briefly glmipsed the Quantum Realm so far. Part of that glimpse teased there was more to the subatomic world than handsome tardigrades and Quantumania is set to explore the cities and civilizations of the Quantum Realm. That meant some serious world building had to take place and producer Stephan Broussard said that meant asking a lot of questions.

    What does technology look like down here? What does society look like down here? What does religion and politics look like down here? I think one of the reasons why the MCU has been successful and had the longevity that it has had so far is that we view new characters and new stories as a chance to kick down the door on whole new worlds.

    Stephan Broussard

    The latest trailer for Quantumania gives fans a look around the Quantum Realm, including some parts of it that look like they’ve been through hell and according to Katy O’Brian, who plays a Quantum Realm native, there’s a good reason for that. O’Brian plays Jentorra, the leader of a group of beings whose life in the Quantum Realm was “turned upside down by Kang.”

    (L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

    Jentorra’s band of creatures, known as the Freedom Fighters, were glimpsed in the initial teaser for Quantumania and will serve as the audience’s window to reality of Kang’s rule over the Quantum Realm, one of which O’Brian paints a grim picuture.

    We’re constantly on the move, constantly running, hiding and trying to fight back and reclaim our homeland. We’re fighting a losing battle—he’s got way more people, we’re outmanned, outgunned. But there’s a little bit of hope we have to hold onto.

    Katy O’Brian

    Though the interests of Jentorra and the Ant-Family may not seem aligned at first as Kang and Scott seem to be intent on working together, the trailer teases a betrayal “by Kang leading to the film evolving into what Broussard calls “an epic sci-fi war movie.” That’s not a description MCU fans ever thought they’d hear associated with the Ant-Man franchise, but Reed’s determination to go bigger and bolder in Quantumania steered the film in that direction. Wars, however, mean casualties and when up against an opponent like Kang, there’s no telling how far he’ll go to get what he wants and who he’ll kill to get it.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th.