Ant-Man and the Wasp opens BELOW expectations at box office – but there's good news

The new Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly-fronted caper has come in slightly below studio estimates, according to Collider; winning the US weekend with around $76 million.

Analysts had expected it to score around $80-85 million, especially after it grabbed an impressive $33 million on Friday alone – though Disney have insisted they are more than happy with the result, having projected it to open in the $70-85 million ballpark.

Putting it alongside other MCU entries, it’s the fifth lowest opening of the 20 blockbusters – ahead of only Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Incredible Hulk and Ant-Man.

The good news is that it has outpaced Ant-Man’s opening weekend by a good $20 million.

It’s interesting that Ant-Man and the Wasp bagged a lower opening weekend than Solo: A Star Wars Story, too – and that latter movie has been branded something of a flop.

But what’s worth bearing in mind here is that Ant-Man and the Wasp’s budget and costs would have been lower than other Marvel big-hitters, meaning Kevin Feige is extremely unlikely to be losing any sleep.

The film’s international box office will be relatively gradual at building up: the UK won’t be able to see it until August 2.

Elsewhere, Incredibles 2 made it to $700 million to sit on $773 million worldwide; with $504 million from the US alone. That’s now the highest-grossing animated movie ever at the US box office.

It’s another caper British fans have to wait longer to see: it won’t be out in the UK until this coming weekend.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a prequel-of-sorts to Avengers: Infinity War, with its end credits scenes tying up with the finale of that jaw-dropping epic.

Both Rudd and Lilly will be seen in next year’s as-yet-untitled Avengers 4.

The next MCU movie to hit cinemas will be Captain Marvel; due next March. Then comes Avengers 4, with Spider-Man: Far From Home to follow very soon thereafter.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is out now in the US, and August 2 in the UK.