Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

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.[46] Reed added that he and Marvel Studios were hopeful about a third film and had discussed potential story points for such a sequel.[47] In February 2019, Hank Pym actor Michael Douglas confirmed that informal discussions regarding a sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp had taken place,[48] 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."[49] That October, Michelle Pfeiffer expressed interest in reprising her role of Janet van Dyne in a sequel,[50] 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".[51] 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.[52]

Reed officially signed on to direct a third Ant-Man film at the start of November 2019. Rudd was set to star as Lang,[9] with Lilly and Douglas also returning.[12] Filming was scheduled to begin in January 2021 with a likely release date in 2022.[53][9] 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".[12] 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.[54] 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",[55] and said the third film would be a "bigger, more sprawling movie than the first two [with] a very different visual template".[56] Reed stated they wanted to further explore the Quantum Realm in the film as a "massive world-building undertaking", and compared its design to electron microscope photography, the Heavy Metal magazine issues of the 1970s and 1980s and his favorite science fiction cover artists such as Jean Giraud for fantastical realism.[15] Marvel Studios producer Brian Gay said the film would "feel like a real departure" from the first two Ant-Man films and be a big adventure.[57] Fellow Marvel Studios executive Stephen Broussard was producing the film alongside Feige.[58]

In September 2020, Jonathan Majors was cast in a "lead role" for the film, which was reported to be Kang the Conqueror.[59] 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 director and head writer of Loki's first season, respectively—were involved in casting Majors in addition to Reed and executives at Marvel Studios;[60][14] Marvel Studios were eager to work with and cast Majors after seeing his performance in The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019), with Reed very supportive of approaching Majors.[61] Majors was approached for the role without an audition,[62] and later noted he had been involved in the film "since the beginning" before joining Loki.[18] Reed was interested in having Ant-Man and the Wasp go up against a formidable foe in the film, believing Kang to be one of Marvel Comics' "all-timers" like Loki and Doctor Doom.[20]

In November 2020, filming was expected to start in 2021.[63] In December, Pfeiffer confirmed her involvement and that filming would begin in mid-2021.[37] 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. Newton originally auditioned for Kate Bishop in the television series Hawkeye, but Hailee Steinfeld had the part.[64][28] 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.[65] 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.[66] Loveness was inspired by several "father and daughter" films starring Steve Martin or Robin Williams from the 1990s, like Father of the Bride, Hook (both 1991) and Jumanji (1995), with Loveness feeling that because he admired all those father characters, he could mix the "underdog dad" hero energy with Rudd's likability to make it a through line for the film.[67] Broussard described the film as a "family adventure" film that becomes "an epic sci-fi war movie and a coming-of-age story".[68]^: 2–3 Pfeiffer and Douglas both indicated that the film would be released in 2022.[69][70]

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.[71] 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.[72][73] 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.[72] In early May 2021, Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released on February 17, 2023.[74] In mid-June, Rudd and Douglas headed to England to prepare for filming.[75][76] 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.[77] In July, Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair reported that Corey Stoll, who portrayed Darren Cross / Yellowjacket in Ant-Man, would appear in "some shape" for Quantumania.[78] Reed planned to feature comedian Tom Scharpling again in the film, after his cameos in the previous two films were ultimately cut from the theatrical releases; however, the scene in which he would have been featured was cut before it was filmed.[79]

Principal photography began on July 26, 2021,[80] at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire,[81] using the working title Dust Bunny,[82] with William Pope serving as cinematographer.[83] Industrial Light & Magic provided the same StageCraft virtual production technology Reed used while directing episodes of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.[81] Will Htay served as production designer.[84] Principal photography was previously set to begin in January 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[53][54][85] It was then expected to take place between May 31 and September 24.[86] By September 16, over 50 crew members from Pinewood Studios productions, mainly Quantumania and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), contracted norovirus following an outbreak at the studio. The main cast was not affected.[87] In October, the film's release was delayed to July 28, 2023.[88] Later that month, Bill Murray revealed he had shot material for a Marvel film with Reed, which was believed to be Quantumania. Murray explained he joined the project as he liked Reed and his work on Bring It On (2000), despite not being interested in superhero films,[89] before he further indicated his involvement in the film, but said he could not comment on his prior statement;[90][91] Murray later said he was playing a "bad guy" in the film.[36] During the filming process, the screenplay was reportedly still being worked on at the same time, with multiple scenes involving Murray and Katy O'Brian's Jentorra later being scrapped, resulting in Murray's character seemingly dying.[32] Principal photography was completed in November 2021.[92] Filming was also expected to take place in Atlanta,[86] and the production was slated to move to San Francisco in 2022 with the cast.[77] The post-credits scene featuring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius and Majors as Victor Timely, features footage from the Loki season 2 episode "1893" (2023)[7][8][93]

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.[94] During visual effects production, most of the attention went over to the preceding film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) which negatively affected the workflow, substantial edits to the film later had to be made in order to cut out scenes with unfinished work.[95] In September 2022, Randall Park was confirmed to be reprising his role as Jimmy Woo,[42] and Feige called the film "a direct line" into Phase Five and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026),[96] with Majors reprising his role in The Kang Dynasty.[20] 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.[24] Loveness felt that having Kang as the main villain of Quantumania would set up the dynamic story he was developing for The Kang Dynasty.[17] Marvel Studios was not initially planning to have "The Multiverse Saga", which comprises Phase Four, Five, and Phase Six, revolve around Kang, but decided to after seeing Majors' performance in the first season of Loki and the dailies while filming Quantumania.[97] Reed 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.[20] Gregg Turkington was also revealed to be reprising his role as Dale, a Baskin-Robbins manager, from Ant-Man.[43] In October 2022, William Jackson Harper was revealed to be appearing in the film in an undisclosed role,[98] and in November, O'Brian was revealed to be appearing in the film alongside David Dastmalchian, who portrayed Kurt in the first two films,[99] after he previously said he was not involved in Quantumania.[100] In January 2023, Dastmalchian, Harper, O'Brian, Murray, and Stoll were revealed to be playing Veb, Quaz, Jentorra, Lord Krylar,[29] and M.O.D.O.K., respectively.[38] Pick-up shots with Rudd occurred by then.[101]

The film's mid-credits scene sees the introduction of the Council of Kangs, particularly Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Centurion. These variants, all portrayed by Majors, discuss how the Conqueror has been killed and that the Avengers are starting to infringe on the multiverse and what they have built. This leads to hundreds of other Kang variants filling an area,[26] in a shot reminiscent of the council's first appearance in comics in The Avengers #292 (June 1988). The post-credits scene is a scene from the second season of Loki,[102] with Majors appearing as Victor Timely, a Kang variant, and Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson reprising their respective Loki roles of Loki and Mobius M. Mobius.[25][26] The film's main-on-end title sequence was designed by Perception, who emulated the visuals of the Quantum Realm using fluid motion and microscopic chemical reactions.[103]

In March 2023, Marvel Studios filed a request to issue a subpoena to Reddit to identify the person or group who was responsible for leaking the script and subtitle file for the film in January 2023 to the subreddit r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers, as well as a subpoena to Google since the leaked information had been uploaded to Google Docs.[104] As a result of the request, r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers went private and became unavailable to the public.[105]

The visual effects were made by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Digital Domain, Moving Picture Company, Fin Design + Effects, Spin VFX, Rising Sun Pictures, Folks VFX, Barnstorm VFX, Base FX, Pixomondo, MARZ, Luma Pictures, Atomic Arts, Territory Studio, and Stereo D,[106] with Jesse James Chisholm as the visual effects supervisor.[83] Adam Gerstel and Laura Jennings served as co-editors on the film.[107]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had its world premiere at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, on February 6, 2023,[119] and was released in the United States and China on February 17, 2023.[94][120] The film was previously set to be released in 2022,[69][70] before being officially announced as releasing on February 17, 2023, in May 2021.[74] It was delayed to July 28, 2023, in October 2021,[88] and returned to the February 2023 date in April 2022.[94] It is the first film, and start of, Phase Five of the MCU.[121]

The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on digital download on April 18, 2023; on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 16; and on Disney+ on May 17.[122]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has grossed $214.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $261.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $476.1 million.[4][5] It was a box-office disappointment, falling short of its reported break-even point of $600 million.[6]

In January 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was projected to earn $120 million in North America over the four-day Presidents' Day opening weekend.[123] The following month, it was projected to debut at $105–110 million domestically and $280 million globally in its opening weekend.[124] 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) from 4,345 theatres, 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).[2][4][125] The film's second weekend saw a 69% drop, down to $32 million in North America, the largest second-week domestic drop-off of any Marvel Cinematic Universe film.[126] In its third weekend, the film earned $12.4 million, for a drop of 61%.[127]

Outside the United States and Canada, the film grossed $121.3 million in its opening weekend.[128] In its second weekend, the film earned $46.4 million, for a drop of 57%, and remained the number one non-local movie in most markets.[129] The film grossed $22 million from 52 markets in its third weekend, for a decline of 53%.[130] The top five international markets were China ($39.4 million), the UK ($23.9 million), Mexico ($18 million), France ($13.6 million), and South Korea ($12.6 million).[131]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 46% with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 409 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."[132] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 61 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[133] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and those polled by PostTrak reported 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.[125]

Owen Gleiberman from Variety was critical of the film, calling it "at once fun and numbing" and stating "...if this is what Phase 5 looks like, God save us from Phases 6, 7 and 8."[134] Caryn James from the BBC stated that the movie has "Marvel's next big villain but other than that, it has nothing to offer beyond drab-looking action."[135] Wendy Ide from The Guardian called Majors' performance the film's "magnetic core", but said that overall the film was "baffling and illogical".[136] Ross Bonaime from Collider also praised Majors' performance, writing he "makes for an excellent villain, who brings nuance and subtlety to his character ... Majors makes this character [Kang] likable in the beginning, but also never hides the menace and terror that he can cause at any moment." Giving the film a B-, Bonaime stated: "Quantumania is a promising, but shaky start for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's just a shame it comes at the sake of the little guy."[137] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter commended Majors for "bringing real gravitas" to the film, and investing "his performance with such an arrestingly quiet stillness and ambivalence that you're on edge every moment he's onscreen." Scheck also praised Pfeiffer, writing she "is terrific in her expanded role, given the opportunity to be a badass heroine and making the most of it."[138] Manohla Dargis from The New York Times felt Pfeiffer, Majors and Douglas were the "truer stars of this show", but felt the overall film was "busy, noisy and thoroughly uninspired".[139]

Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times rated the film three out of four stars, writing it is a "mid-tier MCU film, with decent enough battle sequences and some nifty visuals".[140] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly graded the film a B+, concluding: "At just over 120 minutes, though — a blink in Marvel time — this Ant-Man is clever enough to be fun, and wise enough not overstay its welcome. Who better understands the benefits, after all, of keeping it small?"[141] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars out of four, stating it is "less fun, and blandly garish visually. The earlier films' throwaway jokes and welcome aversion to brutal solemnity have largely been ditched in favor of endless endgame stuff and weirdly cheesy digital world-building in the Quantum Realm."[142] Similarly, David Sims of The Atlantic disapprovingly compared the film to the first two entries, writing in his review: "That cleverness, combined with the special-effect goofiness of people and objects getting big and small, powered the series—and it is basically been junked here, replaced by a bunch of celestial showdowns between Kang and Ant-Man. Anytime Quantumania allows itself to get a little silly, it's in much better shape."[143]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania received a nomination for Best Music Supervision in a Trailer – Film at the 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards.[144] At the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, it was nominated for Best Hero (Rudd) and Best Kick-Ass Cast.[145] The film garnered a nomination for Best Fantasy Adventure TV Spot (for a Feature Film) at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards.[146][147]