‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Gets Four Razzie Award Nominations
The year 2023 proved to be a record-setting period of disappointment for Marvel Studios and the MCU. Nearly all projects, excluding ‘Loki Season 2’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ experienced underwhelming performances. ‘The Marvels’ claimed the unfortunate title of the lowest-grossing MCU movie, failing to surpass the $100 million threshold at the domestic box office.
The downward spiral began in February with the release of ‘Quantumania,’ a film that not only garnered dismal reviews but also marked the first significant flop, signaling a troubling shift in the MCU’s trajectory.
The Razzies stepped in to spotlight the year’s cinematic misfires, with ‘Quantumania’ securing four nominations, setting yet another unenviable record as the first Marvel Studios movie to contend for these “awards.” Michael Douglas and Bill Murray found themselves nominated for worst supporting actor, the film earned a nomination for worst sequel/prequel/spinoff, and Peyton Reed was in the running for worst director. The outcome seems inevitable.
However, ‘Quantumania’ isn’t the sole superhero film facing Razzie scrutiny; ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ also clinched nominations. Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren were nominated for Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress, respectively, and the movie itself received nods for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay, matching ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp’ with an equal number of nominations.
Nevertheless, considering that ‘Expend4bles’ boasts seven nominations, it’s inevitable that the superhero films will experience some losses. Whether attributed to superhero fatigue, general dissatisfaction, or viewers growing weary of moralizing within the film remains uncertain. However, the undeniable truth is that 2023 proved to be a challenging year for the superhero genre. Only ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and, surprisingly ‘Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom’ achieved a moderate level of success, albeit loosely for ‘Aquaman,’ despite its somewhat favorable performance at the box office.
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