Despite prognostications of doom earlier in the year, Guardians of the Galaxy has exceeded expectations and become the top box office earner of the US summer season. Beating out heavy hitters such as Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the Marvel Studios film returned to the top slot on the US box-office this week with a total domestic gross of $251.9 million.
After lagging behind the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for 2 weeks, a lacklustre weekend of new debuts (including the bombing of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy took another $17.6 million over the weekend.
Internationally, Guardians has added another $20.7 million, with its international gross now almost $490 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The film has yet to open in China, Japan and some European markets, so the number is expected to go even high by the end of its season.
A sequel has already been greenlit, and is targeted for 28 July 2017. Between now and then, audiences will have Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America 3 [not official title] and two untitled films to look forward to from Disney.
It seems that the Marvel age is an unstoppable juggernaut. Your move, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
