Ant-Man and the Wasp is off to a stellar weekend with projections calling for $83.7 million in box office receipts, according to Variety . The Peyton Reed-directed sequel is squashing the original Ant-Man by $26 million and is also topping several other opening weekends for films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thursday previews for the film brought in $11.5 million, with Friday estimates around $33.8 million from 4,206 theaters nationwide.
If the $83.7 million projections hold true, Ant-Man and the Wasp will surpass MCU predecessors Thor ($65.7 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($65 million), Ant-Man ($57.2 million), and The Incredible Hulk ($55.4 million). The Paul Rudd sequel has the potential to top opening weekends from Doctor Strange ($85 million) and Thor: The Dark World ($85.7 million) if the film can overcome its projections by a few million dollars.
Ant-Man and the Wasp could see one of 2018’s biggest opening weekends, landing it in the number seven spot overall for the year. The film’s potential $83.7 million haul would follow behind Avengers: Infinity War ($257.6 million), Black Panther ($202 million), Incredibles 2 ($182 million), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($148 million), Deadpool 2 ($125.5 million), and Solo: A Star Wars Story ($84.4 million).
Ant-Man and the Wasp will likely beat worldwide numbers for its original film, which made just over $180 domestically in 2015 and earned $519 million worldwide. The sequel has promised answers to Avengers: Infinity War, which will draw a much larger crowd than the original Ant-Man . In 2015, Scott Lang was a relatively unknown superhero to MCU fans and struggled to get people to theaters.
Marvel Studios newest film will top the box office this weekend, passing Incredibles 2 , The First Purge , Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Sicario: Day of Soldado . The First Purge is the only other in the bunch in the midst of its opening weekend. Purge had a little extra boost, opening early on July 4, but even with an extra day, it wasn’t able to top the new MCU film.
For now, Ant-Man and the Wasp is only playing across the United States, and it will be over a month before worldwide opening weekend numbers can roll in. The United Kingdom will get their chance to buy tickets next weekend when the film debuts, but other countries, like Japan and Italy, have to wait well into August before the film premieres, according to Express .
Ant-Man and the Wasp is now in theaters nationwide. The film stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, T.I., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Laurence Fishburne.