Ant-Man is first big film of 2023 with $139m opening in North America, Latest Movies News - The New Paper
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Ant-Man is first big film of 2023 with $139m opening in North America

LOS ANGELES – Walt Disney’s Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania generated US$104 million ($S139 million) in ticket sales in the initial three days of its opening weekend in North America, becoming the first big movie release of the year.

The super-hero film from the company’s Marvel unit exceeded forecasts, which Disney had put at US$95 million at the start of the weekend. BoxofficePro had estimated the opening at US$103 million.

The movie took in US$225 million globally, Disney said in a statement on Sunday. 

The third instalment of the Ant-Man series, Quantumania delivered the highest opening of the three. The previous pictures took in US$57.2 million in 2015 and US$75.8 million in 2018 in their North American debuts, respectively.

The latest film, which ushers in a fifth phase for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, features returning stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas. Reviews from critics were mostly poor, according to Rotten Tomatoes, with many finding the dialogue and plot lacking excitement. Audiences rated it higher.

Rudd plays the title character, donning a supersuit that gives him the ability to shrink or grow, and confers added strength.

Avatar: The Way Of Water placed a very distant second at US$7.5 million – though the 20th Century mixed-animation film has now compiled a none-too-shabby global total of US$2.24 billion.

That places the James Cameron-directed sequel at third in the all-time global box office rankings, kicking out his 1997 classic Titanic – currently back in theatres as a 25th anniversary special edition – from the top three. 

The original Avatar, released in 2009 and also directed by Cameron, holds to the top spot at US$2.9 billion. 

Universal’s family-oriented Puss In Boots: The Last Wish placed third in the long weekend with a solid US$7.4 million in its ninth week out. 

In fourth place was the previous weekend’s leader, Warner Bros comedy-drama Magic Mike’s Last Dance, at US$5.8 million. Channing Tatum stars as a retired, and very big-hearted, stripper in Steven Soderbergh’s latest film. 

And in fifth was another Universal film, M. Night Shyamalan’s creepy thriller Knock At The Cabin, at US$4.6 million. - BLOOMBERG, AFP

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