Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Set to Make $255 Million Global Debut

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise, is set to hit theaters with a global debut of $255 million, according to recent box office projections. The movie, starring Paul Rudd as the titular superhero, is expected to earn between $95 million and $100 million domestically in its first three days, with the number rising to $110 million over the four-day extended President’s Day weekend.

The film's box office projections have been lowered from the initial forecast of a $120 million debut, but Ant-Man 3 is still performing better than its predecessors. The first Ant-Man movie made $57 million in its domestic opening weekend in 2015, while its 2018 sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, brought in $76 million. However, Ant-Man 3 is still behind the bigger box office hits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which made $185 million in its debut.

Ant-Man 3 will also be one of only two MCU films to be released in China since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. The pandemic has greatly affected China's contribution to the box office, with the Middle Kingdom barely allowing imports at all anymore. However, the movie is projected to open between $35 million and $55 million in China, which will help it to clear the $160 million overseas estimates that it is currently aiming for.

The Ant-Man franchise has traditionally performed lower than other Marvel movies. Both previous films were positioned as palate cleansers between more significant MCU releases. The first Ant-Man movie grossed $519 million globally, while the second movie finished with a little over $620 million worldwide.