Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is set to arrive in theaters in a few days. Of course, the reviews have begun to pour in with critics offering varying opinions on the threequel. Like any other film, the Marvel movie is subject to critical consensus through the infamous Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, Quantumania earned a less-than-stellar major distinction within the MCU.
The 31st MCU film has a Rotten Tomatoes score 52 percent at the time of writing this story, giving it the dubious distinction of being the second Marvel film to get a “rotten” score. The first MCU offering that scored the unfortunate title was the 2021 Marvel ensemble Eternals, which scored a 47-percent “rotten” score. So, the Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel did better with critics than the Chloé Zhao-directed film. Critics’ consensus of the threequel mentioned it “lacks the spark of fun” from the first two films but sets up Kang the Conqueror to be the next major threat in the MCU.
Marvel’s latest entry also became the first offering of the Ant-Man franchise to receive an unfavorable score. Ant-Man scored an 83 percent score with its follow-up got a slightly better reception at 87 percent. Quantumania followed last year’s Thor: Love and Thunder as becoming the lowest-rated film in their respective franchises.
The Rotten Tomatoes score wasn’t too surprising as the threequel has received mixed reviews from critics. Many reviewers pointed out the lack of laughs from missing beloved side characters like Michael Peña’s Luis, and the film trying to fit into the MCU’s overall multiverse agenda or mirror other Disney properties like Star Wars. Even this publication pointed out the sequel’s blatant struggles as the Ant-Man family enters the Quantum Realm.
While the sequel isn’t as light and bright as the first two Ant-Man films, they did single out Jonathan Majors’s performance as Kang the Conqueror as the highlight. Compared to his debut appearance as He Who Remains from Loki Season 1, one critic praised Majors for his ”physicality” and possessing an “arrestingly quiet stillness and ambivalence” as the feared Marvel villain. Viewers were already rotting for Kang after seeing the latest Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania trailer.
Despite the mixed critical reception, this won’t deter fans from seeing Quantumania opening weekend. The threequel is projected to make $98 - $128 million on its first weekend in theaters. The sci-fi family comedy-drama will see Scott Lang and co. explore the Quantum Realm as they met and prepare to fight Kang. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17.
Ant-Man 3 serves as the opener for Phase 5 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arriving in movie cinemas on May 5. If you want to catch up on the Ant-Man saga before the threequel premieres, get a Disney+ subscription to see all of Scott Lang’s sizable adventures.
