Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Disney Plus arrival is a question that we think many will be interested in finding out about. Granted, people always want to know when the latest Marvel movie will hit the house of the mouse's streaming service, but this time — much like Ant-Man himself — is a little different.
The critical response so far, even our own Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review, has been less positive than normal. Right now, Ant-Man 3's Rotten Tomatoes score is a lowly 53% (opens in new tab) — which nets it that unsightly green splatter graphic.
Of course, Marvel movies may be critic-proof, as people who follow the series will definitely want to see Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) take on Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), especially since the villain will have a huge role in the upcoming Marvel movies. There's literally an Avengers movie named The Kang Dynasty.
In fact, Kang hype has been rising since the summer of 2021, when Kang variant He Who Remains (also Majors) showed up in the Loki finale.
All of these lackluster reviews and hype, though, means that some people will possibly second-guess rushing out to the cinema. Others, though, will likely want to rewatch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus, so they don't need to spend a full ticket's price to see it again.
For all of those people, we're going to break down all the details about when we expect to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus — using the past as prologue.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Disney Plus release has a month-wide window
Typically, many movies take around 45 days to get from the theater to a streaming service. This is evolving, though. While The Batman on HBO Max had that kind of tight window, Top Gun: Maverick's Paramount Plus release was 209 days after its theatrical date. That film, though, is more of an outlier than anything.
So for now, let's focus on the Disney (and not Sony + Disney, so that eliminates Spider-Man: No Way Home) Marvel movies that have hit theaters before streaming.
This story famously began when Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that Shang-Chi would have a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window as "an interesting experiment." Star Simu Liu, gave a little guff to rile up the public, tweeting (opens in new tab) "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history..."
And then, as you'll see in this chart, it took Shang-Chi 70 days to arrive on Disney Plus:
| Title, (theatrical date) | Disney Plus date | Days before Disney Plus | Global box office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Sept. 3, 2021) | Friday, November 12, 2021 | 70 | $432 million USD |
| Eternals (November 5, 2021) | Wednesday, January 12, 2022 | 68 | $402 million USD |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022) | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 | 47 | $952 million USD |
| Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022) | Thursday, September 8, 2022 | 60 | $760 million USD |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022) | Wednesday, February 1, 2023 | 82 | $855 million USD |
The best case scenario for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Disney Plus release date
Looking through the above data, you'll see two trends: Disney seems to favor Wednesdays, and it often drops Marvel movies on Disney Plus between 60 and 70 days after the release. Interestingly enough, big box office numbers don't necessary lead to a longer wait (which one might expect).
But looking at this history of Disney Plus release dates, it feels like Wednesday, April 5, 2023, is the best possible Disney Plus release date for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Why? It's the first Wednesday around 45 or so (technically 47) days after Quantumania's February 17, 2023 theatrical date.
That said, Disney may not think Disney Plus needs Quantumania in April, as The Mandalorian season 3 will still be airing that month. It's unknown when the season concludes, though.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus — the worst case scenario
Of course, Wakanda Forever proved that Disney's willing to wait. That instance, though, may be attributable to the company wanting to release the movie online during February, as it's Black History Month.
If, for some reason, Disney decides to go long, we could be waiting as long as 82 days for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus, with Wednesday, May 10, 2023 as a possible worst case scenario.
Early domestic box office projections (opens in new tab) for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are below the aforementioned Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Thor sequels, so we're not feeling bullish on picking the long end of Disney Plus dates.
Outlook: When we think Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits Disney Plus
If I had to pick a date I felt confident in, based on all of the above, I'd say I expect Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus starting April 28, 2023.
That will be slightly after The Mandalorian season 3 is over, and it's 70 days after the release of the movie, which is right in the sweet spot where Disney Plus usually puts Marvel movies up.
Oh and if you can't wait and already saw the movie, check out our Ant-Man and the Wasp's post-credits scenes explainer to decode what we just saw.
