Box office: Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man’ scores $6.4 million Thursday night

A little-known, shrinking Marvel comic book hero got off to a solid start at the box office Thursday night.

The new action-comedy “Ant-Man” from the Disney-owned studio grossed $6.4 million from late-night showings as the film kicks off its debut weekend in the U.S. and Canada.

For comparison’s sake, that’s a bit behind the $7.1-million Thursday night gross of Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” in November 2013. That film ended up with $85.7 million in its opening weekend. Disney’s “Maleficent” scored $4.2 million last May on its way to a $69.4-million bow.

Analysts projected “Ant-Man” to debut at $60 million to $65 million through Sunday, in line with Marvel titles such as “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the original “Thor” film. Both opened with about $65 million in 2011.

The movie is somewhat of a test case for Marvel, which has built a powerful brand and is now trying to launch a successful film based on a relatively obscure character, played by Paul Rudd.

The studio had a breakout hit last year with “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which boasted a rag-tag group of similarly under-the-radar heroes.

Also opening this weekend is the R-rated comedy “Trainwreck” directed by Judd Apatow and starring comedian-of-the-moment Amy Schumer, who also wrote the movie’s screenplay.

“Trainwreck” nabbed $1.8 million Thursday night, ahead of what analysts expected will be a $19-million to $22-million weekend.

The Universal Pictures flick is also a test, but of a decidedly different kind.

It marks Schumer’s debut as a big-screen lead, and though the film has received generally positive reviews, it remains to be seen if her comedy prowess extends from basic cable to the multiplex.

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