When tracking for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 slipped from $130 million to $110 million, there were those who were all too quick to write the threequel off as both a box office disappointment and an example of "superhero fatigue."
The movie ultimately exceeded expectations with a $118.4 million opening weekend, while an A CinemaScore and the franchise's highest Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes proved that filmgoers were embracing James Gunn's MCU farewell in a big way.
During its second weekend in theaters, the latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie dipped a mere -51% for an estimated $58 million second weekend (some believe it will climb as high as $60 million).
That's better than the -55% holds of both previous instalments and the strongest second weekend for an MCU title since 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (-54%). For comparison's sake, last summer's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dropped by -67% and even Spider-Man: No Way Home suffered a -68% fall!
It remains to be seen how high Vol. 3 will ultimately soar, but we should have updated domestic and international figures tomorrow. Needless to say, with numbers like these, we're betting a fourth movie will happen with or without Gunn.
"As heart-wrenching as it is hilarious," we said in our review earlier this week, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is James Gunn’s masterstroke and a showcase for both his filmmaking talent and a cast that makes everything about this movie simply awesome. An absolute triumph."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.
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