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Tag: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ En Route to $110M+ Opening Weekend

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ En Route to $110M+ Opening Weekend

    It looks like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has pulled in a strong $48.2M on Friday including its Thursday previews. That would currently put it on a path to making around $110M over the weekend, which is currently on the low end of expectations but it’s unclear how word-of-mouth might affect its Saturday and Sunday gross. This has been adding to some concern of superhero fatigue but it does have a strong A CinemaScore and strong PostTrak showcasing a potential long-run at the box office that may push against the recent developments.

    Deadline has pointed out that while CinemaCon snarked about superhero fatigue (ironically given The Flash was the “highlight” showcased by Warner Bros.), the film is Marvel’s eleventh time topping $100M in May, which is still something no other brand can really compare to at the moment. The film also remains quite male-dominated at 62%, whose positive reaction could keep it going for weeks until Fast X releases in June. The question remains if positive word-of-mouth and a strong hold for a few weeks could actually help push The Marvels later in the year rather than continue a downward trend (or perhaps it’s less a genre fatigue but more a reflection of its marketing as well).

    As of now, it’s new for a Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel to be behind previous entries but also not entirely something new. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avengers: Age of Ultron was behind the previous entry and could also hint at Vol. 2 getting quite a big boost from releasing in 2017 during the Phase 3 boom after momentum built out of Captain America: Civil War. As of now, the film will likely open slightly ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which had a powerful opening but lost momentum quickly highlighting the film’s okay word-of-mouth and the Disney+ release strategy from previous years showing its fangs.

    Still, the film is continuing the trend of Marvel opening beyond $100M which isn’t a terrible thing to showcase. There was tracking towards $130M and if momentum suddenly spikes going into its Saturday, there’s a chance but things are a bit calmer for now. What should be noted is that the film has a much stronger international box office at around $71.5M, which would put it at $119.7M worldwide as of Friday.

    There’s a lot that can be said about recent developments, as 2022 still looked strong for Marvel Studios but this year had some surprise hits. The four-quadrant market has been quite focused on Super Mario Bros. Movie by pushing that beyond a billion making up for the missing families in theaters the last few years. That film is finally dethroned but still drops to a strong $18.5M while new release Love Again is dead on arrival with a $2.6M opening weekend.

    There is a good chance that the current development simply reflects a stuffed Summer market and it’s uncertain if other projects won’t face similar developments. With that many films on the horizon and a recession still at play, people might just be a bit pickier this year as seen in the first few months as well. Only a select few managed to hold with a strong male-driven audience but outside of Mario, nothing is really breaking records. What is playing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s favor is that the international market is seemingly doing quite a bit better now.

    It’s currently still projected for a $260M+ global opening, which is higher than the initially expected worldwide gross for the film. Social is pushing the film quite a bit, especially in Korea which has been a rather rough market as of late. Ironically, if Guardians mends any expectations with Marvel releases, they could be balancing out the domestic slowdown that has occurred this year. While some want to blame Ant-Man 3 for this current development, the Guardians are still some of the more obscure characters in the franchise that haven’t had a new entry since 2017.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter, Deadline, Deadline

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Opens with Franchise Record Thursday

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Opens with Franchise Record Thursday

    Marvel Studios next big thing kicked off its theatrical run with the same Thursday previews box office take as its last big thing. According to THR, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opened to $17.5M on Thursday, matching the preview night take of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Quantumania went on to a franchise-best opening weekend before quickly losing momentum, something Marvel Studios is hoping not to see happen with Vol. 3.

    Early forecasts for Vol. 3‘s opening weekend box office have it trending at or below the opening of its 2017 predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the $17.5M previews number would seem to indicate that might be the case. Not only does the $17.5 match Quantumania, but it also outdoes the $17M Thursday previews take Vol. 2 had 6 years ago. And while that number is on par with Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Thursday and a top 40 all-time Thursday value, it seems to indicate some hesitancy on the part of audiences to head out to see another Marvel Studios film.

    All three of Marvel Studios’ 2022 theatrical releases opened far stronger than Quantumania and now Vol. 3. Sam Raimi‘s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness took in more than double on its first Thursday with $36M, Thor: Love and Thunder saw $29M in receipts on its opening Thursday and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever too in $28M. Unlike Quantumania, those three films held a strong at the box office for weeks, something Disney is hopeful will happen with Vol. 3. The new film won’t see much competition at the box office and it does seem that it’s generating a little more positive word of mouth than Quantumania which means while it might not open to a huge number, it could have legs and ultimately end up with a satisfactory cumulative box office take.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’: Karen Gillan Reflects on Her Time as Nebula

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’: Karen Gillan Reflects on Her Time as Nebula

    James Gunn‘s original Guardians of the Galaxy were all unlikely heroes. A thief. An assassin. A tree. A talking raccoon. Whatever Drax is. Over a decade in the MCU, the team has evolved and brought on new members but there may be no more unlikely hero on the team than Nebula. After originally teaming with the Kree extremist Ronin to take on the new team in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula went on a journey unlike anything else we’ve seen in the MCU. After reconciling with Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, she was tortured at the hands of her father, Thanos, killed a past version of herself and joined the Avengers in saving the galaxy. Now, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she finds herself a full-fledged member of the team as they go on what Gunn has said will be their final tour. That’s a lot of growth for a villain who was supposed to be a one-off.

    Of course, the reason Nebula was provided with the opportunity to grow was the wonderful work of the actress who brings her to life, Karen Gillan. Gillan went all in on her performance in Guardians of the Galaxy, shaving her head and working with Gunn on finding a way to make Nebula more than the one-note character she’s often been portrayed as in the pages of Marvel Comics. Gillan‘s work was so good that Gunn carved out a bigger role for her in the 2017 sequel and the Russo brothers took it from there. While talking with host Nathan Fillion during the global press junket for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gillan reflected on her time as Nebula.

    (L-R): Karen Gillan, James Gunn, and Chris Pratt on the set of Marvel Studios’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2023 MARVEL.

    “She’s had quite the arc,” said Gillan of her character. After describing the character as “misunderstood” and “bitter” in Guardians of the Galaxy, the actress explained where Nebula stands in Vol. 3. “I think, you know, post-Thanos being eliminated from her life, she’s starting to flourish a little bit more and she’s starting to have a lighter personality and she’s a little more willing to show vulnerability.” It’s always good to see someone overcome their personal monsters.

    Interestingly enough, Gillan explained that it wasn’t only Nebula who has grown. After playing the character for nearly a decade, the actress explained how the experience has changed her as well. “What’s changed for me? Definitely my understanding of what it’s like to be a scapegoat sibling,” she said. “I’m an only child,” explained Gillan, “because Nebula was definitely that. She was never the golden child. And so, I never understood that because I’m an only child. And so, that was a really sort of interesting exploration for me. So, now I just have so much respect for people that have gone through that.”

    Gillan’s time as Nebula may or may not have run its course but she’s certainly established the character as an MCU powerhouse and one of Marvel Studios’ most interesting and complex.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in theaters now!

  • Chris Pratt Addresses the MCU Future of Star-Lord

    Chris Pratt Addresses the MCU Future of Star-Lord

    And now his watch is ended. James Gunn‘s MCU tenure comes to a close when Marvel Studios latest release, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, opens this week across the globe. And as Gunn moves on from the MCU, a pair of the Guardian franchise’s key players, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña, have both indicated that the threequel will mark their final appearances as their respective characters. While the team has expanded over time, Drax and Gamora were part of the original group of a-holes that took the world by storm in 2014 and will be tough to replace but would anyone be tougher to replace than Chris Pratt‘s Star-Lord?

    Though he’d been in the comics since 1975, most folks had no idea who Star-Lord was until Pratt brought him to life as a music-loving moron in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The character grew so popular that he became a key player in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and while his story arc is taking a bit of a backseat to Rocket’s in Vol. 3, Peter Quill is still one of the MCU’s heaviest hitters. Is there more in the tank for Star-Lord after Vol. 3?

    (L-R): Zoe Saldana as Gamora and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.

    It sure sounds like it, according to Pratt. In an interview with GamesRadar+, the star made it clear that while it might not be the same without Gunn, he’s up for reprising the role…but only under the right circumstances.

    It would be strange to continue Peter’s story without James. He’s done such a masterful job in the first three films. We really found the voice of Peter Quill together and without him, obviously, I would never have had this opportunity. He writes it, he directs it, he dreams up the music, it’s his imagination on screen. So, to continue to tell the story, it would really be important to honor what he’s done in the first three films and to honor what the fans have grown to love about the character and not simply do it because people might show up to pay for it, you know?

    Chris Pratt

    All that being said, it’s no guarantee that we’ll see Pratt back in the role. “I don’t want to be cynical in the approach and if that’s the case, I just wouldn’t do it at all,” explained Pratt. “So maybe down the road if something makes sense I would do it but it would really have to check a lot of the right boxes,” he concluded.

    Pratt certainly has no problem finding work in Hollywood but he’s also become one of the faces of the MCU. While Marvel Studios has never been much for one-to-one adaptation of comic books or comic book events, the truth is that many of Star-Lord’s greatest adventures from the pages of Marvel Comics have yet to be told in the MCU. So, depending on what plans Kevin Feige and the Parliament have in store for the Cosmic corner of the franchise, there could be plenty of action ahead for Pratt should he chose to continue in the role.

    Source: GamesRadar+

  • James Gunn on What He’ll Miss the Most as His Time at Marvel Studios Comes to an End

    James Gunn on What He’ll Miss the Most as His Time at Marvel Studios Comes to an End

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks the end of a passion project that has occupied a decade and change of director James Gunn‘s career. Marvel Studios brought Gunn on board in 2012 and tasked him with making a tentpole film around a group of comic book characters most people had never heard of that included a talking raccoon and a tree. What followed was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon as Guardians of the Galaxy took the world by storm in 2014. The characters quickly worked their way into the hearts of the audience and through subsequent appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, went from unknowns to major players in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.

    And while the Infinity Saga marked the end for many of Marvel Studios major heroes, the Guardians kept on keeping on into the Multiverse Saga where they’ve seen action in Thor: Love and Thunder and their own Holiday Special ahead of their latest adventure set to be told in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With Gunn moving on to shepherd the new era of DC Comics projects at Warner Bros. Discovery, his time with the team has come to an end, even if some or all of them may find their way into new stories. During the global press junket for the film, host Nathan Fillion asked Gunn if he’d miss the characters he’s created as his time working with Marvel Studios comes to an end.

    (L-R): Karen Gillan as Nebula, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and Dave Bautista as Drax in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2023 MARVEL.

    “I’m gonna miss the characters,” said Gunn. “That’s the saddest part for me, is I really, truly love these characters. I love all of them. I think there’s certain ones that I have a special fondness for, especially Rocket.” Gun continued, “And yeah, the saddest part of all of this. I’m gonna see all these people again. They’re all friends of mine. But I’m not gonna see the characters. I’m not gonna be writing the characters again, at least not in the near future. And so, that’s a real sadness, yeah.“

    Interestingly enough, Gunn left the door slightly open for his return to the MCU at some point down the road; however, given how busy he is with Superman: Legacy and the rest of the all-new, all-different DCU, it’s hard to imagine him carving out time to return to the Guardians no matter how much he loves them.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens across America on May 5th.

  • Kevin Feige Details Why the Conclusion of the Guardians Trilogy Feels Different

    Kevin Feige Details Why the Conclusion of the Guardians Trilogy Feels Different

    As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens across the globe this week, fans are sure to exit their showing feeling a mix of emotions. Early reviews of the movie have indicated that the capstone of James Gunn‘s trilogy works as a heartbreaking sendoff to a group of a-holes that have gone from unknown to some of Marvel Studios most beloved heroes. While it’s clear that the journeys of some of these heroes will continue in the MCU, Gunn–and more than one of the film’s talented actors–have made it clear that Vol. 3 is the end of the road for them adding to the emotions of the film.

    Marvel Studios has completed several trilogies before including, most recently, the Ant-Man trilogy; however, none of them have seemed to pack the emotional punch that Vol. 3 seems prepared to unleash. During the global press event for the film, host Nathan Fillion asked Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, if he could put his finger on why this one feels so much different. “You know, we’ve had trilogies before. We’ve had a number of them, actually,” said Feige. “And I was thinking, why does this feel so different and so much of a passage of some sort? And it’s because Guardians really was the first movie that was completely outside of the realm. It tied in with Thanos and Infinity Stones. But The Avengers were not in it. And we weren’t setting up Tony Stark’s next adventure, or Captain America. And it was really our attempt of saying, we don’t wanna just do superhero movies.“

    Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Chukwudi Iwuji attend the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

    Longtime fans of the MCU likely recall the trepidation that swirled after Guardians of the Galaxy was first announced. Given that most fans had never heard of the characters, it was widely presumed that the film would flop. While it was certainly a gamble for the studio, as Feige explained, for the MCU to grow, it had to be more than the core Avengers and the Guardians opened that door. “We don’t want to just do Iron Man movies or Avengers movies. And we wanted to do, as James said earlier, a big space movie,” Feige explained, “and it worked in a crazy way. It worked entirely because of James Gunn. So, it just feels like this trilogy, and James writing and directing all three of them, it represents something unique within the pantheon of the MCU, that I’m very proud of.”

    In hindsight, Gunn‘s Guardians captured lightning in a bottle. Like the team itself, the odds were stacked against the first film launching as successfully as it did and with the enormously high expectations that every Marvel Studios project has hanging over it now, it seems unlikely we’ll ever see a feelgood story like the Guardians again.

  • First Look at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Rotten Tomatoes Score

    First Look at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Rotten Tomatoes Score

    After the red carpet premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in Los Angeles last night, the review embargo for the latest MCU installment has expired and the first reviews of the film have been shared. It’s still very early in the process but so far the film seems to be continuing the recent trend of Phase 4 and 5 films not living up to the expectations of critics.

    While some critics are hailing the film as a fitting conclusion to the Guardians trilogy (including our own Michael T. Ford III), others are seeing the film through a very different lens. Flickering Myth’s EJ Moreno called the film “a tonal mess that relies on Disney-style emotional manipulation” while Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson called Vol. 3 “an odd, lumbering patchwork of a film, occasionally fascinating but otherwise bloated and aimless” and an “awkward franchise finale.”

    The very mixed and disparate reviews for the film are reminiscent of many of the studio’s post-Endgame films which have rarely been universally hailed as successes. Marvel Studios most recent theatrical release–and its first Phase 5 offereing–, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania compiled a franchise-worst 47% Rotten Tomatoes score and of the Phase 4 releases, only Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings resonated with critics in a way that the pre-Phase 4 releases did.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 84%
    Thor: Love and Thunder 63%
    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 74%
    Spider-Man: No Way Home 93%
    Eternals 47%
    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 91%
    Black Widow 79%

    That said, it’s still very early in the game and Vol. 3’s score could still move quite a bit. While it’s unlikely to end up as high as 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy‘s 92%, it could end up comparing favorably to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s 85%.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes

  • Zoe Saldaña Calls ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ “The End for Gamora”

    Zoe Saldaña Calls ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ “The End for Gamora”

    Reactions to advance screenings of Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have called the threequel heartbreaking and emotional and that has fans of the franchise nervous as the film’s wide release approaches. Before the film”/’s teaser trailer debuted, fans were already abuzz about which Guardians might meet their ends in Vol. 3 and that teaser (a d subsequent marketing) has only amplified that feeling. While fans continue to place their bets about whifh beloved character won’t make it out alive, one of the film’s stars just threw a little gas on the fire.

    Promotional material for the film has made it seem like several of the film’s lead characters (most prominently Star-Lord, Rocketband Drax) will be facing their ultimate fate in the film. Dave Bautista, now making his seventh appearance as the dense Drax, has made it clear that his time as the character is through and now his sentiment has been echoed by another of the film’s stars: Zoe Saldaña.

    In an interview with THR, Saldaña, whose Gamora has already died once in the MCU, made it clear that while the Guardians will live on, Gamora will not be part of their future.

    I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora.

    Zoe Saldaña

    As Gunn has said and THR’s report reiterated, there are more adventures in store for the Guardians of the Galaxy, just not these Guardians of the Galaxy. And will Saldaña joining Bautista in moving on from the franchise, perhaps the makeup of the new team starts to become a little clearer even before audiences see the film.

    Stars Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff, who play the brother/sister duo of Star-Lord and Mantis, respectively, have been less direct about their futures with Marvel Studios. Will Poulter‘s Adam Warlock, who serves as an antagonist in Vol. 3, has a comic book history with the Guardians and his casting has always seemed like one with the future in mind. Groot is almost unkillable and his partnership with Rocket is one of Marvel’s most beloved ongoing relationships. Certainly there’s a team in that mix somewhere, even if it doesn’t involve all of them. However, Saldaña, it seems, won’t be part of whatever new adventures are in store.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuts in theaters on May 5th.

    Source: THR

  • Voice Cast for Rocket’s Friends in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Revealed

    Voice Cast for Rocket’s Friends in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Revealed

    We’ve known for some time that a big part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would likely explore the origins of Rocket. The character was a major part of the franchise’s emotional core and James Gunn openly discussed that he centered a lot around that character from his own personal experiences. With the third Guardians entry being his last before he continues to focus on DC Studios’ future, it seems almost fitting to use this chance to explore that character’s true emotional background.

    In a new piece of footage, we get a new look at the characters that grew up alongside Rocket into becoming more humanoid under The Evolutionary’s watchful eye. Linda Cardellini has been confirmed to play Lylla the Otter, who is Rocket’s main love interest. Asim Chaudhry is taking on the role of Teefs the Walrus while Mikaela Hoover is Floor the Rabbit. Gunn shared the following on what makes these characters stand out in the film:

    They’re best friends… and I think it’s a really beautiful scene with them… where they talk about going outside into the sky, in the world, which they’ve never experienced.

    James Gunn

    Of course, the big surprise for many is likely that Cardellini is set to take on the role of Lylla after having played a major part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Age of Ultron as Laura Barton, the wife of Clint Barton and a former SHIELD agent as teased in the Hawkeye Disney+ series. Though, it’s not the only time this has happened and not even the first time this year, as David Dastmalchian also took on a new voice role in the recently released Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Source: Collider

  • James Gunn Updates the Post-Credit Scene Status of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    James Gunn Updates the Post-Credit Scene Status of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    For many Marvel Studios fans, there is nothing more important than the post-credit scenes that follow almost every project. For better or for worse, that is the culture that Marvel Studios has created and although the stingers often distract from a conversation about the events of the film it seems they are here to stay. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was screened in Paris, no post-credit scenes were shown, causing some fans to believe there wouldn’t be any; however, James Gunn has taken to social media to address that concern and indicated that fans of post-credit action would be satisfied.

    Answering a question from papaj_419, Gunn indicated that the audience will want to stick around for not one but two post-credit scenes after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has been confirmed to be the longest film of the Guardians franchise clocking in at just under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

    2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy featured 2 post-credit scenes as well while 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 boasted 5, the most of any MCU film to date. All but two of the films in the Multiverse Saga have featured two post-credit scenes with one running midway through the credits and the other after all the credits rolled.

    Vol. 3 is Gunn’s last hurrah with both the Guardians and Marvel Studios as he moves full-time into his new role as co-chair of DC Studios. Reactions from the Paris screening have said the film is heartbreaking and the best of the trilogy and with further press screenings scheduled to get underway on April 27th, there’s sure to be plenty more reactions on the way.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5th.