Since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania debuted in theaters across the United States on Friday, the reviews by critics have been majorly negative. But that doesn’t seem to be bothering the fans at all because they continue to show up in droves to watch the Phase Five kick-off as far as box office receipts are concerned.
Within hours of Quantumania hitting the theaters, critics cast a shadow on its release by collectively awarding it a 48% Rotten Tomatometer rating. Nicole Ackman of Oscars Central says, “Despite a nice family dynamic between the Langs and Pyms, the lack of clarity around new villain Kang and the subpar visual effects make the film a lackluster addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
Dustin Chase of Galveston Daily News didn’t make things much better, “Nothing more than a desperate money grab for Marvel, overplaying an already weak minor character, to bide time for the next phase.”
But despite the negative reviews…
How does that happen with so many less-than-positive reviews circling the internet about the film? Simple — critics don’t control the fans when it comes to the love they have for Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, and of course, Jonathan Majors who conquered the role of MCU’s new big bad, Kang.
Evidently, the love of the fans is enough for the film to rule the box office. Deadline projected that it would hit $115 million by Sunday because there is a dynamic between moviegoers who get their tickets in advance and walk-ups who buy them from the window. It appears the movie is ahead of projections. Apparently, nothing is holding Marvel fans back from watching Quantumania, no matter how low the critics score the film.
Given the glaring difference between the critics’ score and the high audience score the film has on Rotten Tomatoes, Quantumania fans even resorted to attacking the site. Seeing that it follows a system where an aggregate score is compiled based on all the reviews a film gets, the site can’t be held liable. But as far as the reviews by critics are concerned, fans do make a good point to a certain extent. Often critics review a movie as if there is a template that must be followed like a cookie-cutter assembly line with no heart and soul. This only serves to create a discrepancy as the ticket sales tell a different story, which it is when it comes to gauging Quantumania‘s success.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters.