Box office estimates relayed by Deadline claim that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is tracking for a $150m-$180 million opening weekend on home turf.
Before we delve into the minutia, and as Deadline points out, it’s worth keeping in mind that these projections arrive three weeks before the launch of James Gunn’s galactic sequel – in the States, at least – and should be taken as more of a rough approximation than a concrete figure. Nevertheless, these figures were posted by non-Disney sources, so they do make for some interesting reading.
One thing’s for sure: interest in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is through the roof, with analysts claiming that the Marvel follow-up could enjoy a similar domestic opening to that of Captain America: Civil War ($179.1 million). The more conservative estimate puts Guardians 2‘s opening weekend in the ballpark of $150 million, which is still a remarkable debut by anyone’s standard. Indeed, for the sake of perspective, the first Guardians of the Galaxy opened to $94.3 million Stateside – an August record, before David Ayer’s Suicide Squad came along to blow that out of the water.
Since then, Star-Lord and Co. have ostensibly become household names, ensuring that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was promoted to a primetime May release in time for 2017. Joss Whedon’s original Avengers movie still holds the all-time opening record for the first weekend of May with a staggering $207.4 million, followed by Age of Ultron ($191.2M), Civil War ($179.1M), and Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 ($174.1M). Can James Gunn’s sequel muscle its way into that superpowered pantheon? After scoring off the charts in internal test screenings, we’re inclined to believe so.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 makes a beeline for theaters on May 5th. The fact that Star-Lord’s second spacefaring adventure opens in the United States a week after its overseas debut will surely fuel a pent-up demand for Guardians 2, so there’s no telling how high that domestic box number will scale.
