Ant-Man's 'small box office' hoax
Even as the top grossing film in its first weekend with just under $58 million domestic, Ant-Man has been touted as Marvel’s first bomb since The Incredible Hulk. It should be clear that Ant-Man is not, nor could it ever be, an Avengers-type film. Instead, it is a heist movie played out in the Marvel cinematic universe. Just like Captain America: Winter Soldier was a political thriller, Marvel is showing that any type of movie can work within its world view.
Ant-Man’s lack of music is the first thing that a savvy movie goer will notice. The scenes that are funny do not have any cue to tell the audience that it is supposed to laugh. No laugh track, no comic music, just straight man and joke. Those used to sit-coms may find this a bit concerting as people have to make the decision about how funny something is and whether or not he or she should laugh out loud. Cool, jazzy, heisty music makes the film better as does the silence. Michael Pena is the funniest character in the movie though everyone has his or her moment. The movie does hit all of the beats that you expect, and it becomes predictable as the main battle scene unfolds. However, that is part and parcel of today’s movie making culture. The mirrored father-daughter relationships are a bit contrived, but it makes sense that they would happen because of the machinations of Hank Pym. Far from being a bomb, Ant-Man is the bomb. Overseas, it made about the same amount as it did in the U.S., and this movie was made for far less than any of the bigger blockbusters that came before it. Stay for the mid-credits scene and the end of credits scene. Both raise the excitement level for the next movies to come. (Anyone know where I can get one of those bunnies?) |
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