'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Sustains Worst Box Office Drop for an MCU Movie

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania maintained its place atop the domestic box office for its second weekend, but endured the worst decline for a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the process.

Quantumania earned an estimated $32.2 million, which was enough to stave off the $23.1 million amassed by the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear on its debut weekend. But that’s where the good news ends for Scott Lang & Co. After a $105 million opening, the latest film in the Ant-Man trilogy saw a 69.7 percent decline in domestic box office sales, surpassing the previous mark of 67.8 percent held by Black Widow in 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Scarlett Johansson-led film was simultaneously released on Disney+ due to the uncertainty surrounding theatrical releases during the height of the pandemic.

Quantumania also holds the unfortunate record for the biggest second-weekend drop of any superhero film. DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice relinquishes the dubious honor, which previously stood at 69.1 percent.

The decline of Quantumania hints at another potentially alarming trend among MCU films. The previous title to get a theatrical release was Thor: Love and Thunder, which also faltered in its second weekend to the tune of 67.7 percent.

“As second weekend drops go, anything in the 70 percent realm is pretty significant,” senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Variety. “But movies that open with over $100 million are generally front-loaded. In some cases, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall’ comes into play.”