Ant-Man 3

“Ant-Man 3” Writer Reacts To Film’s Bad Reviews, Said They Left Him “Really Sad”

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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?

Paul Rudd, Kathryn Newton and Jonathan Majors attend the “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” UK Gala Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo on February 16, 2023, in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

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.

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“Ant-Man 3” Almost Had Lucas Grant Play The Wasp’s Son

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Warning: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spoilers ahead.

Ant-Man 3 is already a smash hit at the box office. It is exceeding expectations in numbers. However, the story could have gone in an entirely new direction. Evangeline Lilly‘s character, Hope van Dyne, originally had a son in early stages of the project’s production. The mother of Lucas Grant (Five Nights at Freddy’s) posted some on-set photos on his official Instagram account. She also shared that his role was removed from the film’s final cut.

In the post, Grant shoots some scenes with Lilly and a second child. Lilly and the two kids are wearing civilian clothes in the middle of what would become a CGI location. Lilly also has long hair with highlights, different from Lilly’s dark pixie cut that we see in the film. From this, we can infer that Lilly’s character, Hope, was meant to have these children at some point in the film. Grant’s post did not mention who his character’s father was or who the second child in the photos is.

Lucas Grant In “Ant-Man 3”

Grant’s appearance in the film could have played out in a number of different ways. Hope van Dyne could have split up with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) prior to Quantumania, with her character starting a new family. It also could have been a flashback to a hidden past of Lilly’s character. Additionally, the film’s ending could have been different, with Hope and Scott remaining trapped in the Quantum Realm after missing out on their chance to leave so they could defeat Kang the Conquerer. If that was the case, these kids could be Hope and Scott’s kids from their time in the Quantum Realm. That would explain the need for the CGI blue room. It would also explain the length of Hope’s hair, but not why the color changed.

The answer could have also been less complex. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Hope van Dyne and Scott Lang as they fight Kang the Conquerer, the newest big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s able to manipulate time and space. As a method of convincing the Lilly and Rudd’s characters to stop their fight, Kang could have shown and promised them an alternate, peaceful timeline where they were always together. It would explain the little girl in the photos. She could possibly be a young Cassie. These, obviously, are all speculations. It’s near-impossible to know the truth of Grant’s role in the film. Maybe we’ll find out eventually, but until then, Quantumania is available to watch in theaters.

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“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” Box Office Expectations Revealed

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Paul Rudd is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film is going to reignite things at the movie theater box office. Expectations are high for the third Ant-Man movie. The film has an estimate of $95 million to $100 million gross throughout the opening weekend in North America. Extending estimates to President’s Day on Monday brings the anticipated gross to $110 million. It will likely take the number one spot from Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Internationally, Quantumania estimates range from $130 million to $190 million, with an overall estimate of $160 million.

According to domestic box office estimates, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will likely gross lower than recent Marvel titles like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($185 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($144 million) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($181 million). This isn’t uncommon for Ant-Man movies. However, Quantumania is getting a huge spike compared to the previous films centered around the micro-superhero. The original Ant-Man grossed at $57 Million. Its sequel, Ant-Man, and the Wasp, grossed $76 million domestically and $161 million on a global scale.

Quantumania Takes Off

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly attend the “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” UK Gala Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo on February 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

In the film, Ant-Man, his daughter, the Wasp, and others are sent to a mysterious Quantum Realm, which defies the laws of space and time. Evangeline Lilly, who plays the Wasp, has returned for Quantumania. Additionally, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglass are coming back to the franchise. Jonathan Majors will star as Kang the Conqueror. Plus, Kathryn Newton will play Scott Lang’s daughter, and William Jackson Harper will play Quaz. The film is the 31st installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will kick off Phase Five and introduce the true nature of Kang the Conquerer.

Reviews vary for the film. According to Rolling Stone, “An ant can carry 10-15 times its body weight, yet as the designated kick-off film tasked with setting up the next two-phase, multi-movie/TV arc, ‘Quantumania’ is still being crushed by having to bear way too much of a franchise burden.” However, in Variety’s review, chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the work of Jonathan Majors. He said, “With no motion-capture makeup to hide behind, Jonathan Majors holds you with the quiet force of his pensive scowl. You hang on his every word; he makes vengeance and genocide sound like the most hypnotically casual of propositions.” 

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Jonathan Majors’ Kang Is Marvel’s “Highest-Testing Villain” Ever

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From Tom Hiddleston (Loki) to Josh Brolin (Thanos), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had numerous memorable villain performances. However, according to the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer has the highest test screening score of them all. Kang was initially introduced in the Disney+ series Loki, and is now debuting as a villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In Loki, Kang was playing a variant of Kang, not the version that fans will see in the highly-anticipated Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

The film sets him up to be the new Thanos of the MCU. He’s Marvel’s new big bad, and he does it well. Feige told Entertainment Weekly, “For years, we’ve always had the inkling that Kang would be an amazing follow-up to Thanos. He’s got that equal stature in the comics, but he’s a completely different villain. Mainly, that’s because he’s multiple villains. He’s so unique from Thanos, which we really liked.”

Jonathan Majors Succeeds

Jonathan Majors attends Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” at Regency Village Theatre on February 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Marvel Studios president went on to tell Entertainment Weekly that, “In the early days of ‘Quantumania’ [test screenings], Jonathan started to pop in a big way. He’s the highest-testing villain we’ve ever had in any of our friends and families [screenings]. That’s really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start.” Characters like Thanos have significantly higher amounts of CGI and effects needed than Kang to make them work. It’s impressive that Majors was able to wow audiences with his performance of Kang the Conquerer even prior to the assistance of visual effects.

Feige said, “It’s always one of the fun rolls of the dice that we do at Marvel, which is to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to make multiple movies around this character, and we’re going to start before the audience has even had a chance to meet him. We really go all in on these ideas and this casting. It was a big relief when the season ender of ‘Loki’ season 1 happened. People really seem to be on board for Kang. People are chanting, ‘Kang!’ when Jonathan goes on talk shows, and they haven’t even seen him in the movie yet!” Watch Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conquerer in Disney and Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which premieres in theaters on February 17, 2023.

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T.I. Is Not Returning For ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania’

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, T.I. will not be returning to his role as the title character’s sidekick in the third Ant-Man film, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania. In the original 2015 Ant-Man and its 2018 sequel, T.I. plays Dave, a member of Ant-Man Scott Lang’s heist crew, providing comic relief alongside Michael Peña’s Luis and David Dastmalchian as Kurt.

The news arrives after a New York Times report confirming that a lawyer has reached out to law enforcement officials in California and Georgia urging criminal investigations into multiple allegations of sexual assault against T.I. and his wife, Tiny. 11 women represented by Tyrone A. Blackburn claim that the couple used drugs to encourage them to have sexual encounters. It’s currently unknown whether T.I.’s removal from the Ant-Man 3 cast is a result of the accusations against him and the Reporter notes that the film is still in development, so changes could be made in the future. The film does not have a release date.

However, MTV Entertainment’s production of T.I. and Tiny’s Vh1 show T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle has been suspended following the allegations, with a spokesperson telling Deadline, “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”