Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney Co.’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” took a bite out of the box office over the weekend, premiering in first place with a healthy $76 million in the U.S. and Canada.
That is a robust 33% jump from the debut of the original “Ant-Man,” which opened to $57 million and went on to collect $180 million at the domestic box office in July 2015. The Marvel Studios release likely got a boost from favorable reviews and the superhero showing of the company’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” which has made $675 million since opening in April.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” added an estimated $85 million to its opening from international territories, where it opened in about 48% of global markets.
The holiday weekend’s other new release, “The First Purge,” grossed $31.1 million since opening on July 4. That is a fine start, considering its microbudget production cost, but the movie’s three-day haul of $17.2 million is lower than its three predecessors in the dystopian horror series. “The First Purge” was released by Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures.
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