Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had a great start for the lesser-known Marvel franchise with $120 million in its extended holiday opening weekend. However, the reviews have not been very kind, and it currently stands at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. In a new interview with The Daily Beast, Quantumania screenwriter Jeff Loveness admitted that he was surprised by the film’s poor reception. Especially since he was so proud of his first feature film script.
“To be honest, those reviews took me by surprise,” said Loveness. “I was in a pretty low spot…Those were not good reviews, and I was like, ‘What the …?’”
“I’m really proud of what I wrote for Jonathan [Majors] and Michelle Pfeiffer,” added Loveness. “I thought that was good stuff, you know? And so I was just despondent, and I was really sad about it.”
RELATED: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Drops 69% In Second Weekend
However, Loveness had a more uplifting experience when he went to see the movie after it opened.
“I went to [a showing]…and an audience was laughing, and…I’m like, ‘Goddamn! No, [the reviews] are wrong! I’m right! M.O.D.O.K. is great!’”
“I’m pretty happy with it overall, and I think I learned how to take a punch this week, added Loveness. “And now that I learned that it’s not too bad, I can just get on with making things.”
Despite Loveness’ positive experience at the screening, Quantumania‘s dramatic second weekend drop does suggest that there is some audience discontent with the movie. The film’s box office performance in the weeks to come will determine if it can match or exceed Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s $216 million domestic run. Regardless, Marvel has already lined up Loveness to write one of Marvel’s most-anticipated films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Do you think Quantumania was better than the reviews indicated? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Ant-Man: Ant-niversary
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.