While it may be coasting by on the weakest reviews of the trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is flying high were it really counts by continuing to tear up the box office.
James Gunn may have inadvertently fired a shot in the direction of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania by celebrating the fact it’s only taken his Marvel Cinematic Universe threequel a week to conquer $500 million in global ticket sales, something its immediate predecessor didn’t manage to do in its entire theatrical run.
However, Vol. 3 has taken things several steps further by setting a brand new record for the franchise in its second weekend on the big screen, an impressive achievement given the lackluster performance suffered by the majority of the Multiverse Saga’s heaviest hitters so far.
By hauling in $60.5 million in its sophomore frame, Star-Lord and the team’s grand finale dipped by only 49 percent in week-to-week takings, which is the strongest hold for any MCU sequel ever. In terms of the superhero sandbox at large, it’s the fourth-best second weekend tally after Black Panther, Thor, and Iron Man, not bad when you consider two of those titles released well over a decade ago.
A billion might be out of the question already given that summer blockbuster season is preparing to heat up exponentially, but at least Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can bow out with its head held high having set at least one major milestone that no other MCU epic can lay claim to.
