AceShowbiz - Thankfully, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" title is no reflection of its revenue. The latest superhero movie has a big-sized opening at the North American box office, with an estimated $104 million start atop the chart.

The Marvel threequel has beaten expectations and has scored by far the biggest opening weekend in the "Ant-Man" trilogy. It is also the first $100 million domestic debut of 2023, with its four-day frame being expected to range between $118 million and $120 million by President's Day on Monday, February 20.

The first film in Phase Five of the MCU has added $121 million at the box office, though it failed to live up to expectations in China with just $19.2 million debut. The international cume brings its global tally to $225 million so far.

" 'Ant-Man' is the first new Hollywood blockbuster out of the gate in 2023," says Imax's CEO Rich Gelfond, noting that $24 million came from the company's premium-format screens.

The staggering number is in contrast to reviews of the film. "Ant-Man 3" holds an approval rating of 47% with an average rating of 5.6/10, based on 301 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were not impressed either as they gave it an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale based on polls by CinemaScore.

" 'Ant-Man' isn't among the top Marvel series, and reviews and audience scores are uncharacteristically soft, but this is excellent business and a big step up for the title," David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, weighs in on this.

Elsewhere at the chart, "Avatar: The Way of Water" holds on to the second place with an estimated $6.1 million, bringing its global tally to $2.2433 billion. It has now surpassed "Titanic" as the third-highest grossing movie in history.

The 1997 romantic masterpiece is pushed down to No. 3 with $2.2428 billion globally after its remastered 3D version, which was released in celebration of its 25th anniversary, added an estimated $2.3 million domestically.

"Magic Mike's Last Dance" slips two places to No. 3 at the domestic chart with approximately $5.4 million, trailed close behind by "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" with an estimated $5.3 million at No. 4. "Knock at the Cabin" is down to No. 5 with approximately $3.9 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Feb. 17-19, 2023):

1. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" - $104 million
2. "Avatar: The Way of Water" - $6.1 million
3. "Magic Mike's Last Dance" - $5.4 million
4. "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" - $5.3 million
5. "Knock at the Cabin" - $3.9 million
6. "80 for Brady" - $3.6 million
7. "Titanic" (25 Year Anniversary Re-release) - $2.3 million
8. "Marlowe" - $1.9 million
9. "Missing" - $1.7 million
10. "A Man Called Otto" - $1.6 million