Whether you’re a Marvel fan or not, you have to admit that the films draw in plenty of intrigue at the box office. Most recently, the third flick in the Ant-Man franchise, Quantumania, made its theatre debut, and so far, reactions have been mixed. The Paul Rudd-led project scored just 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it just ahead of Eternals as one of the MCU’s lowest-rated releases of all time.
The outlet spoke with screenwriter Jeff Loveness, who had the responsibility of crafting Ant-Man’s most ambitious storyline to date. Apparently, he wasn’t at all expecting to see a 69% drop at the box office during Quantumania‘s second weekend, or so many unfavourable reactions. “To be honest, those reviews took me by surprise,” he told The Daily Beast.
Ant-Man 3 Misses the Mark for Some
“I was in a pretty low spot… Those were not good reviews, and I was like, ‘What the..?’ Loveness confessed. “I’m really proud of what I wrote for Jonathan [Majors] and Michelle Pfeiffer [scientist Janet Pym]. I thought that was good stuff, you know? And so I was just despondent, and I was really sad about it.” While he was sad over the internet discourse, attending an in-person screening of Ant-Man 3 helped turn the writer’s mood around.
For him, hearing other audience members laughing at the jokes he crafted felt amazing. “I’m like, ‘Goddamn! No, [the reviews] are wrong! I’m right! MODOK is great!” he gushed earlier this month. “I’m pretty happy with it overall,” Loveness said of his Marvel debut. “I think I learned how to take a punch this week. And now that I learned that it’s not too bad, I can just get on with making things.”
What’s Next for the MCU?
Prior to Ant-Man 3, the MCU took us back to Wakanda in Black Panther 2. Next up, we’ll be getting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this May, and The Marvels in November. 2024 is also set to be a big year, with Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Blade all arriving from the months of May to September to complete phase five. Which of Marvel’s upcoming movies are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.