Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the sequel to Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and the 31st film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Peyton Reed from a screenplay by Jeff Loveness, and stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, alongside Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, and Jonathan Majors.
Plans for a third Ant-Man film were confirmed in November 2019, with Reed and Rudd returning. Loveness was hired by April 2020, with development on the film beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film's title and new cast members were announced in December 2020. Filming in Turkey began in early February 2021, while additional filming occurred in San Francisco in mid-June, ahead of principal photography starting at the end of July at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and ending in November.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premiered in Los Angeles on February 6, 2023 and was released in the United States on February 17, as the first film of Phase Five of the MCU. The film briefly swapped release dates with The Marvels, which was then due for release in July 2023, before reverting back its current date.[1][2] It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly those of Rudd, Majors, and Pfeiffer) and musical score, but criticized its plot, screenplay, visual effects, and tonal departures from earlier installments in the franchise. The film has grossed over $476.1 million worldwide against its $200 million budget, but demand a flopped at the box office due to the not being break-even in its theatrical run, being the first MCU film to become box office flopped.
Plot[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
During her days of entrapment in the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne encounters an exiled traveler named Kang. In the present day, after the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang has become a successful memoirist and has been living happily with his girlfriend Hope van Dyne. Lang's now teenage daughter Cassie has become an activist whose activities result in Lang bailing her out of jail. While visiting Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, Cassie reveals that she has been working on a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm. Upon learning of this, Janet panics and tries to shut off the device, but the message is received, resulting in a portal that opens and pulls the five of them into the Quantum Realm. Lang and Cassie are found by natives who are rebelling against their ruler, while Hope, Janet, and Pym explore a sprawling city to get answers.
Hope, Janet and Pym meet with Lord Krylar, a former ally of Janet's, who reveals that things have changed since she left, and that he is now working for Kang, the realm's ruler. The three are forced to flee and steal his ship. The Langs are told by the rebels' leader Jentorra that Janet is indirectly responsible for Kang's uprising, having helped rebuild his Multiversal Power Core after he was "exiled" before enlarging it beyond use. The rebels soon come under attack by Kang's forces, consisting of robotic subordinates led by M.O.D.O.K., who is revealed to be Darren Cross, having survived his apparent death at Lang's hands.
The Langs are taken to Kang, who demands that Lang help get his power core back or else he will kill Cassie. Lang is taken to the core's location and shrinks down. He is nearly drowned in a sea of variants of himself, but Hope arrives and helps him acquire the power core. However, Kang reneges on the deal, capturing Janet and destroying her ship with Pym on it. After being rescued by his ants, who were also pulled into the Quantum Realm, rapidly evolved, and became hyper-intelligent, Pym helps Lang and Hope as they make their way to Kang. Still imprisoned, Cassie rescues Jentorra and they commence an uprising against Kang and his army. During the fight, Cassie appeals to Cross' character, which convinces him to turn sides and fight Kang, though this costs him his life.
Janet fixes the power core as she, Pym, Hope, and Cassie jump through a portal home, but Kang attacks Lang, nearly beating him into submission. Hope returns as she and Lang destroy the power core and knock Kang into it, causing him to be pulled into oblivion. Cassie reopens the portal on her end for Lang and Hope to return home. As Lang happily resumes his life, he begins to rethink what he was told about Kang's death being the start of something terrible happening, but brushes it off.
In a mid-credits scene, numerous variants of Kang commiserate over the death of one of their own and plan their multiversal uprising. In a post-credits scene, Loki and Mobius M. Mobius spot another Kang variant named Victor Timely in the 1920s.
Cast[]
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
- Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp
- Jonathan Majors as multiple variants of Kang the Conqueror
- Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
- David Dastmalchian as Veb
- Katy O'Brian as Jentorra
- William Jackson Harper as Quaz
- Bill Murray as Lord Kylar
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne
- Corey Stoll as Darren Cross / M.O.D.O.K.
- Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
- Randall Park as Jimmy Woo
- Gregg Turkington as Dale
- Ruben Rabasa as a coffee shop attendant
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki variant L1130 (post credits-scene; uncredited)
- Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius (post-credits scene; uncredited)
Production[]
Development[]
Ahead of the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), director Peyton Reed said there were elements of that film that leave "a lot to play with" in a potential third film in the franchise. He highlighted the Quantum Realm, which was introduced in Ant-Man (2015) and explored further in Ant-Man and the Wasp; Reed said they were "just dipping our toes into it" for the previous films. Reed added that he and Marvel Studios were hopeful about a third film and had discussed potential story points for such a sequel.
In February 2019, Hank Pym actor Michael Douglas confirmed that informal discussions regarding a sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp had taken place, though by that time Evangeline Lilly had not heard of any plans for her character Hope van Dyne / Wasp following her role in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Lilly stated that "Hope is mid-journey. I don't see her journey as being over by any stretch." That October, Michelle Pfeiffer expressed interest in reprising her role of Janet van Dyne in a sequel, while Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked about the future of Paul Rudd's Scott Lang / Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following Endgame, and responded that "the chess pieces were arranged very purposefully" at the end of that film, with some taken "off the board" and others, like Ant-Man, "still on [the board, so] you never know". Rudd was asked whether he would be returning to the role, either in a third Ant-Man film or as part of another hero's MCU franchise, and said that both of those options had been discussed.
Reed officially signed on to direct a third Ant-Man film at the start of November 2019. Rudd was set to star as Lang, with Lilly and Douglas also returning. Filming was scheduled to begin in January 2021 for a likely release date in 2022. Reed was hired again, despite Marvel's interest in new filmmakers bringing different takes to their heroes for each film, because executives felt he had "a real grasp on the Ant-Man universe and want[ed] to see him return to wrap up his trilogy". Jeff Loveness was hired to write the script for the film during "the early days of Hollywood's shutdown" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he had begun working on the screenplay by April 2020. At that point, it was no longer clear when production would begin on the film due to the effects of the pandemic on all film productions. In August 2020, Reed confirmed that development on the film was continuing during the pandemic. He said that Lilly would continue to get equal billing in the film alongside Rudd as she is "a very, very important part" of the partnership between Ant-Man and the Wasp, despite rumors that her role would be reduced following controversial comments about the pandemic. Reed added that the story for the film had been "cracked", though "nothing [was] official yet", and said the third film would be a "bigger, more sprawling movie than the first two [with] a very different visual template".
Pre-production[]
In September 2020, Jonathan Majors was cast in a "lead role" for the film, which was reported to be Kang the Conqueror. Because the actor cast as Kang would first portray an alternate version of the character, named He Who Remains, in the Disney+ series Loki, Kate Herron and Michael Waldron — the respective director and head writer of Loki's first season — were involved in casting Majors in addition to Reed and executives at Marvel Studios. In November, filming was expected to start in 2021. In December, Pfeiffer confirmed her involvement and that filming would begin in mid-2021. Shortly after at Disney's Investor Day, Feige revealed the film's title as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, confirmed the return of Rudd, Lilly, Douglas, and Pfeiffer, alongside Majors as Kang, and revealed that Kathryn Newton had joined the film as Cassie Lang. Emma Fuhrmann, who played the character as a teenager in Avengers: Endgame, was saddened by the announcement of Newton taking over the role, and hoped to be involved in the MCU in the future. Later that month, Loveness revealed that he had turned in the first draft of the script, and said Marvel had used the COVID-19 pandemic break to "do something new and weird" with the film. Pfeiffer and Douglas both indicated that the film would be released in 2022.
Filming[]
On February 4, 2021, Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy announced that shooting for the film had begun in the country's region of Cappadocia, with the production also set to film in other parts of Turkey. At the beginning of March, Tip "T.I." Harris was revealed to not be returning as his character Dave from the first two Ant-Man films. This news came after sexual abuse allegations against Harris and his wife Tameka Cottle arose at the end of February, but Variety reported that this was unrelated and Harris was never set to return for the sequel. In early May 2021, Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released on February 17, 2023. In mid-June, Rudd and Douglas headed to England to prepare for filming. Shooting to capture exterior shots and background plates took place at the San Francisco Police Department Central Station in North Beach, San Francisco on June 19 and 20, with filming of the station's interior, the outward view of the building, and downtown San Francisco. In July, Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair reported that Corey Stoll would reprise his role as Darren Cross / Yellowjacket from Ant-Man in "some shape" for Quantumania.
Principal photography began on July 26, 2021, at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, using the working title Dust Bunny. Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology, which Reed used while directing episodes of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, is being used for the film. Principal photography was set to begin in January 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then expected to take place between May 31 and September 24. Will Htay served as production designer. Filming is also expected to take place in Atlanta, and the production will return to San Francisco in 2022 with the cast.
Post-production[]
Adam Gerstel and Laura Jennings serve as co-editors on the film. In April 2022, the film was moved back to its February 17, 2023 release date, swapping places with The Marvels, given Quantumania was further along in production than that film. In September 2022, Randall Park was confirmed to be reprising his role as Jimmy Woo, and Feige called the film "a direct line" into Phase Five and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025), with Majors reprising his role in The Kang Dynasty. Reed stated that Quantumania would have a "profound impact" on the MCU, and that the impact of Kang's appearance in this film was discussed with Loveness for The Kang Dynasty, which he was also writing. He also hoped the film would not be viewed as a "palate cleanser" the previous two films had been following Avengers films, but would instead feel as big as an Avengers film. Gregg Turkington was also revealed to be reprising his role as Dale, a Baskin-Robbins manager, from Ant-Man. In October 2022, William Jackson Harper was revealed to be appearing in the film in an undisclosed role, and in November, Katy O'Brian was revealed to be appearing in the film alongside David Dastmalchian, who portrayed Kurt in the first two films, after he previously said he was not involved in Quantumania. In January 2023, Dastmalchian, Harper, O'Brian, and Murray were revealed to be playing Veb, Quaz, Jentorra, and Lord Krylar, respectively, while Stoll's character was revealed to be M.O.D.O.K. Pick-up shots with Rudd also occurred by then.
Marketing[]
The first footage from the film was shown at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con where Feige, Reed, and the cast promoted the film and discussed the characters. Further footage was shown at D23 in September, which Ryan Leston at IGN called "an intriguing glimpse" into the film. A teaser trailer for the film was released on October 24, 2022. It featured "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John. Tom Chapman at Den of Geek noted the trailer was "darker than ever" compared to the comedic tone of the prior two Ant-Man films and featured "dramatic pauses and tense musical cues", but felt it was "another MCU teaser trailer that does a little too much teasing" to not reveal key details, such as the absence of the character M.O.D.O.K. who was shown in the D23 footage. Charles Pulliuam-Moore of The Verge compared the trailer to Disney's then-upcoming film Strange World (2022) and highlighted the Quantum Realm's appearance as being "beautiful and nonsensical," while Empire's Owen Williams compared the Quantum Realm to Ego's planet from the MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). In January 2023, Heineken released a commercial featuring Rudd to promote their product and the film.
Release[]
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released on February 17, 2023. The film was previously set to be released in 2022. It will be the first film of Phase Five of the MCU.
Box office[]
As of March 2, 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has grossed $174.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $196.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $370.5 million.
In January 2023, the film was projected to earn $120 million in North America over the four-day Presidents' Day opening weekend. The following month, it was projected to debut to $105–110 million domestically and $280 million globally in its opening weekend. The film made $46 million on its first day, including $17.5 million from Thursday previews that began at 3 P.M. It went on to debut to $106.1 million (and a total of $120.4 million over the four-day frame), marking the best opening of the Ant-Man series and the third-best for a February release, behind Black Panther ($242.1 million in 2018) and Deadpool ($152.1 million in 2016). The film's second weekend saw a 69% decrease in ticket sales, down to $32 million in North America, the largest second week domestic sales drop-off of any Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
Outside the United States and Canada, the film grossed $121.3 million in its opening weekend. In its second weekend, the film earned $46.4 million, for a drop of 57%, and remained the number one non-local film in most markets. The top 5 markets to date are China ($31.5M), UK ($17.8M), Mexico ($13.1M), Korea ($10.8M) and France ($9.5M).
Critical reception[]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 47% with an average rating of 5.6/10, based on 370 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mostly lacks the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures, but Jonathan Majors' Kang is a thrilling villain poised to alter the course of the MCU." It is tied as the lowest rated MCU film on Rotten Tomatoes and the second installment to be classified as "rotten", both with and after Eternals. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 61 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, tied for the lowest grade for an MCU film with Eternals and down from the first two films' respective grades of "A" and "A-". Early data from PostTrak reported 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Future[]
In February 2023, Douglas said he would be interested in returning for a fourth film if Pym died in it, while Broussard said that he had started to discuss a potential fourth film with Feige and Reed.
Videos[]
Posters[]
- ↑ "Marvel Movie Shifts: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ To Kick Off Summer 2022, ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Heads To July & More", Deadline, October 18, 2021.
- ↑ "‘The Marvels’ and ‘Ant-Man 3’ Swap Release Dates in 2023", Variety, April 29, 2022