There’s nothing like the promise of a chapter finale to draw people into movie theaters, especially when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This weekend, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which says goodbye to this iteration of the space misfits and its driving creative voice, director James Gunn, opened tickets from 4,450 locations in North America, according to studio estimates on Sunday. earned $114 million in sales.
Internationally, where the film opened in 52 territories including China, “Vol. 3” made $168 million, giving it a global debut of $282 million.
Domestically, that’s an impressive amount for any film and a little short of what we’ve come to expect from Marvel openings.
The same weekend last year, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” grossed $187.4 million in its first three days in North America, riding on the success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” And in November, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ also opened to over $181.3 million.
But things are back down to earth this year, at least by high-flying superhero standards. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania” debuted over $106 million on its way to $474 million worldwide. At rival studio DC/Warner Bros., “Shazam! Rage of the Gods” earned a total of $133.4 million. This weekend has some analysts questioning whether that was due to a specific character or a larger issue of “superhero fatigue.” Is.
“Guardians Vol. 3” ousted “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” from first place after topping the charts for four weeks and kicked off the summer movie season, an important and usually profitable corridor for Hollywood. Runs through Labor Day and often accounts for 40%. Box office of the year.
For comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, it’s still a solid start to the summer season, which he said looks set to deliver its strongest profits since 2019.
“While the debut of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ may reflect a slight audience fatigue for the credible superhero genre, this is just the beginning of a unique movie market with a killer combination of films appealing to every taste and every audience demographic.” promises to be,” Dergarabedian said.
The next major superhero movie on the schedule is DC’s “The Flash,” set for June 16, which has its own flurry of intrigue surrounding it due to star Ezra Miller’s legal and personal troubles.
“Guardians Vol. 3” sees the return of actors Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Reviews have been mostly positive, but slightly more divided than previous installments. And it’s difficult to compare pre-pandemic-like volumes. Post-pandemic 2 opened to $146 million (May 2017).
“Vol. 3” is Gunn’s last Guardians/Marvel film as he turns his attention to the flagship DC Studios.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” finished second, adding $18.6 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $518.1 million. Globally it has now crossed $1.1 billion.
Third place went to “Evil Dead Rise” with $5.7 million, and fourth place went to “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” with $3.4 million – both holdovers.
Studios left most of the weekend blank for the superhero behemoth, but Screen Gems and Sony debut their new Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ romantic comedy “Love Again” (featuring Celine Dion and a few new songs) at 2703 spots. It took fifth place, grossing a modest $2.4 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in US and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $114 million.
2. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $18.6 million.
3. “Evil Dead Rise,” $5.7 million.
4. “Are You God? It’s Me, Margaret,” $3.4 million.
5. “Love Again,” $2.4 million.
6. “John Wick: Chapter 3,” $2.4 million.
7. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” $1.5 million.
8. “Air,” $1.4 million.
9. “Guy Ritchie’s Covenant,” $1.2 million.
10. “Sisu,” $1.1 million. ,
Follow AP Film Writer Lindsay Bahar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)