Release: The Banded Ants 3 - Showdown

The Banded Ants 3 - Showdown
Genre: Animation/War
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Jack Ryder
Cast: Zac Efron, Selena Gomez, Dwayne Johnson, Mark Strong, Ian McShane, Brandon Routh, Doug Jones, Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson




Budget: $204,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $180,771,902
Foreign Box Office: $225,203,995
Total Profit: $109,410,379

Reaction: While still a highly successful film, the numbers are actually down for this entry compared to The Banded Ants 2 - The Mortal Enemy (and barely higher than the first film in the series). The profits are an all-time low for the series - a side effect of the massive contracts del Toro, Efron, Johnson and Gomez carry over from their work on the series, as well as the expensive additions of Theron and Johansson to the voice cast.

"The series seems to continue getting further away from its roots, this time becoming far too involved with the political maneuverings within the ant colony, while the fun, fantastical insect battles of the first film have gradually been replaced by dark intrigue and insect scheming." - Geoff Bray, Slant Magazine

"Some people have a problem with the series getting darker as it goes along, but I don't see the issue. The Harry Potter series did the same thing as their core audience grew up and matured. The naivety of the main ant characters has been hardened through their various battles, so it only makes sense for the films to be more mature viewing." - Jeff Stockton, The Roundup

"After three films now, The Banded Ants has somehow managed to avoid getting stale. It's a rare feat. In fact, this third entry may actually have the best characterization and writing of the entire series." - Brian Edelstein, Time Out