After a few films with box office revenues below the critical threshold in recent times, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seems poised for a fresh victory with the blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which is currently projected to achieve impressive box office revenues.
Director James Gunn returns once more with a Marvel film before leading the entire cast to DC. Not only that, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will mark the end of the journey for at least one other major character, as actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, has announced his departure from the MCU. With the role of a beloved character in the MCU, this film must succeed to solidify the production house Disney/Marvel’s diminishing golden era.
Recently, Box Office Pro shared early box office projections for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and these early forecasts are a positive signal for the future of the MCU. Specifically, the third installment of the Guardians franchise is expected to earn between $120 – 155 million in its opening weekend in North America. This figure will surpass the opening of the first film in Phase 5 of the MCU, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which earned $106 million in its opening weekend. Overall, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is projected to gross between $288 – 403 million in North America alone.
“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Must Be a Success for Marvel”
The anticipated box office performance of “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” is crucial for the MCU to regain its momentum. The Marvel franchise has experienced significant fluctuations with its most recent release, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Released in February 2023, this film not only introduced a new major character, Kang the Conqueror (played by Jonathan Majors), for the MCU in Phases 5 and 6 but also brought back the daunting responsibility of steering Marvel post-Phase 4, which saw disappointing reception.
Before “Ant-Man 3” opened the Phase 5 era, the MCU had gone through a few lackluster years, with box office revenues and average ratings declining compared to previous phases. “Quantumania,” while positioned as the biggest adventure in the “Ant-Man” trilogy, ultimately received the lowest average ratings in MCU history and garnered only $474 million globally after nearly two months.
Simply put, Phase 5 of the MCU has begun with a “bombshell,” but things are looking brighter with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” directed by James Gunn. The trailers for this film look very appealing, with meticulously crafted visuals that help restore confidence among audiences after several disappointments in Phase 4, which suffered from underwhelming CGI. Even “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” failed to truly re-engage audiences as hoped.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” must be a major success for Marvel across both box office revenues and critical reception. More importantly, it needs to re-establish the connection with loyal fans, ensuring that the MCU remains a beloved cinematic universe. Conversely, if “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” does not succeed as expected, Disney/Marvel may find themselves in a precarious situation, making it increasingly difficult to recapture the golden era akin to the Infinity Saga.
