There is nothing like the promise of a chapter closing to draw people to the movie theater, especially when tied 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, earned $114 million in ticket sales from 4,450 locations in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. Internationally, where the film opened in 52 territories including China, it earned $168 million for a $282 million global debut, the AP reports.
Domestically, it's both an impressive sum for any movie and slightly less than the industry has come to expect from a Marvel opening. Reviews have been mostly positive, but a little more divided than previous installments. Guardians Vol. 3 bumped the Super Mario Bros. Movie out of first place after four weekends atop the charts and kicked off the summer movie season, a vital and usually profitable corridor for Hollywood that runs through Labor Day and often accounts for 40% of a year's box office. The next major superhero movie on the schedule is DC’s the Flash, set for June 16.
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, $114 million.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie, $18.6 million.
- Evil Dead Rise, $5.7 million.
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, $3.4 million.
- Love Again, $2.4 million.
- John Wick: Chapter 3, $2.4 million.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, $1.5 million.
- Air, $1.4 million.
- Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, $1.2 million.
- Sisu, $1.1 million.
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