Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU on a concerning note, claiming an unwanted box office record from its predecessor. While the movie introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next big bad, Kang the Conqueror (another potential problem given Jonathan Majors' recent troubles in the headlines), its reviews earned it the MCU's second "Rotten" score in Rotten Tomatoes, and it failed to break out at the box office, becoming one of the MCU's biggest flops.

The first Ant-Man movie was a welcome change of pace for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Age of Ultron, providing fresh look at a smaller side of the MCU. While it didn't blow up at the box office like some other MCU movies released around the same time, particularly the Iron Man and Avengers movies, its $180 million domestic and $519 million worldwide box office hauls were seen as a big success, especially since it introduced a lesser known Marvel character. Ant-Man and the Wasp improved on Ant-Man's box office, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania didn't continue the trend, despite earning an Ant-Man high $106.1 million opening weekend.

Related: Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania's Box Office Run Is Already Almost Over

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Is The MCU's Lowest Grossing Sequel

Ant-Man Box Office Crash

Before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Ant-Man and the Wasp was the lowest grossing sequel in the MCU, and Iron Man 2 held the record before that. Now that it's clear Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's box office won't even reach Ant-Man and the Wasp's (with the former earning $216.6 million domestic and $474.5 million worldwide so far compared to the latter's $216 million domestic and $622.7 worldwide box office), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania officially earns the title of the MCU's lowest grossing sequel movie at the box office. it's also only the second time (after Iron Man 2) where an MCU sequel earned less domestically than its predecessor (Iron Man 2 outgrossed Iron Man globally).

Why Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Is The MCU's Lowest-Grossing Sequel

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's poster with dollar bills falling

The Ant-Man movies were already some of the lowest earners in the MCU, as evidenced by Ant-Man and the Wasp owning the lowest-grossing sequel title prior to Quantumania, but Quantumania's bad reviews and Rotten score in Rotten Tomatoes coming on the heels of the pandemic and Phase 4's box office and Rotten Tomatoes slump combined to drive down interest in the movie, making it the new lowest grossing sequel in the MCU.

The downward trend in review scores and box office seen in Phase 4 of the MCU should be a concern for Disney and Marvel Studios, but with some more reliable and popular characters returning in Phase 5 in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that may not be a problem for much longer. With The Marvels, Captain America: New World Order also coming in Phase 5, there'll be plenty of opportunities for movies to take the lowest-grossing sequel title from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, although given the previous success of those particular franchises, that hypothetical situation probably isn't a big concern for Marvel Studios.

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