The initial box office forecasts for The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been released, and they may not be as high as many expected.
Marvel Studios’ box office fortunes have been less than stellar recently.
The MCU’s 2023 got off to a rocky start with the massive unfavorable response to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The third installment in the franchise is also expected to gross significantly less than Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), with the picture expected to gross $470-$540 million worldwide, compared to the second film’s $622.6 million. At the moment, the film has a global box office total of $473.4 million.
But how will James Gunn’s next Marvel Studios return fare?
Estimated Box Office Earnings for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
According to Box Office Pro, Vol. 3 is expected to gross between $120 and $155 million in its first weekend and between $288 and $403 by the end of its theatrical run.
In comparison, the first Guardians of the Galaxy picture grossed $94.3 million in its first weekend and $333.7 million by the conclusion of its run.
Domestically, Vol. 2 fared much better, grossing $146.5 million in its debut weekend and $389 million overall.
While this is not surprising considering the franchise’s popularity, on both extremities of the forecasts for Vol. 3, the highly anticipated blockbuster is expected to gross more than Quantumania, which opened to a good $106 million three-day weekend but won’t quite break $220 million in total.
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Will the Guardians Follow the Current Superhero Trend?
Given that Vol. 3 marks the much-anticipated finale to Gunn’s tenure with the characters, as well as the current incarnation of the titular team as a whole, many fans were probably expecting a more bombastic performance.
Yet, given the general public’s impending burnout from Marvel Studios’ streak of subpar-quality productions, it’s no surprise that the MCU’s momentum isn’t at full speed.
Marvel Studios isn’t the only superhero studio that has struggled with project performance.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods just had a difficult debut. Not only did the film fail to impress critics, but it also had one of the worst DCEU debuts ever.
The Zachary Levi-led sequel only generated $3.4 million on its opening night, compared to Birds of Prey’s $4 million, which has maintained the bottom slot on the list since 2020. Fury of the Gods has grossed $56 million in the United States and $123 million worldwide since its March 17 premiere.
The way Vol. 3 lands critically will be a deciding factor in its performance. A negative or even mediocre reaction will reinforce the trend of poor performance, but overwhelming positivity may result in the success that it deserves.
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