Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opened with a strong start on the first weekend of May. The final installment of the James Gunn-helmed franchise is the 32nd entry in the expansive realm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only it smashed the international box office, but it also earned $25 million in global ticket sales on Imax.
In North America alone, the conclusion to the epic Marvel space saga topped as the second-biggest domestic opening this year with $114 million, just behind another Chris Pratt-led film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie with $146 million.
DC Fans Showed Support For Shazam 2 Amid Comparison Against GOTG Vol. 3’s Massive Opening Weekend
Globally, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 grossed $282 million, and it keeps churning money as word-of-mouth continues to draw viewers all around the world. The much-awaited finale to the Guardians trilogy has, so far, received positive reviews, a promising hint of its box office success for the next few weeks.
The movie boasts stunning visual effects and a compelling storyline, and it aims to give a much-fitting closure to the story that amused fans since 2014. Imax CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement, via Variety:
“James Gunn and our partners at Marvel and Disney leaned heavily into Imax technology to deliver a visually stunning and emotional finale to this iconic franchise. We expect the strong audience response to yield a long, successful run at the box office.”
The year started with an abundance of superhero movies dominating theaters again, as the industry recovers from the wrath of the pandemic. In March, Warner Bros’ Shazam! Fury of the Gods premiered on the big screen and delivered an underwhelming performance. Since then, the franchise’s sequel has been considered DC’s worst box office release.
Amid the depressing figures and numerous criticism, DC fans are showing solid support for the movie. The successful opening weekend of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a slap to Shazam 2’s total box office run of $133M, with the Marvel film earning more than double on its premiere alone.
Now, DC fans are sharing their sentiments online and calling out the comparison between the two franchises. For many viewers, Shazam 2 was good enough and did not deserve the hate. Check out their tweets below:
And?
Shazam 2 made no money because Gunn announced it wasn’t relevant to the future of DC. This isn’t a flex.
— A. J. (@AJ__Schaefer) May 8, 2023
Shazam was good and didn’t deserve the hate and you know it.
— Duke773377 (@duke773377) May 8, 2023
I appreciate the fact that Guardians has turned out to be a great movie but comparing it to another different CBM and belittling it just cuz it didn't do well is not appreciable..pls work on ur headlines..
— ……theflyingjade…… (@theflyingjade) May 8, 2023
Can this movie not exist on its own? The desperation to compare it to other movies is starting to be suspect.
And Shazam? Really? Talk about kicking someone when they're down. The real story would have been if it didn't beat Shazam.
— Reviewcentalk (@reviewcentalk) May 8, 2023
so we r using Shazam 2 as boxoffice comparison reference now onwards?
— RBL (@Rebellion_128) May 8, 2023
Is this the point where we are at? In order to elevate a good film we have beat down another good film now? It is insane how out of all the shit ass DCEU movies that came out shazam 2 is the one people want to clown on…
— KoolKat92 (@Koolkat_92) May 8, 2023
Meanwhile, Shazam 2 is still showing in select cinemas, and fans will be available to stream the film via HBO Max from May 23.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’s Positive Reception Brings Hope For A Successful Trilogy Finale
The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies were both successful box office performers, and it won’t be long until the third installment brings another profitable victory for Marvel Studios. As James Gunn permanently leads DC Studios as executive head, he returned one last time to complete the trilogy that brought fans their favorite space heroes.
Starring Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 brings the team together for one last emotional ride.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now showing in theaters worldwide.
