Ant-Man 3 opening weekend projection lower than Thor 4

While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 of the Multiverse saga, the projected earnings are lower than what the last three Phase 4 movies grossed. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had the largest opening weekend for an MCU movie this year with $187.4 million while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened with $181.3 million. Ant-Man 3 is expected to perform lower than Thor: Love and Thunder, which grossed $144.2 million.

Take these projections with a grain of salt as they're being published weeks before the movie's actual release. Last year's MCU movies exceeded their opening weekend projections and we expect Ant-Man 3 to do the same. We will get a better idea of how the movie will perform when advanced sales numbers come in.

It is worth noting that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will likely get a boost from the Chinese market. Ant-Man 3 will be the first MCU film to premiere after China ends its shadow ban on Marvel movies. Chinese censors shadow-banned Marvel movies on the mainland for a number of reasons including depictions of LGBTQ scenes and statements made by the film's cast and crew.

Even with the relatively lower projections, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania promises to be Paul Rudd's biggest solo opening weekend to date in the MCU.

Marvel Studios and Disney pulled out all the stops with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania giving the movie a budget of $200 million. The opening movie of Phase 5 will be the debut of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU as well, which should draw more fans to the theaters.

Director Peyton Reed previously teased that Kang is a bigger threat than the Mad Titan, Thanos. Reed shared that Kang will have a "profound impact" on the MCU.