‘Guardians’ Rule Galaxy and Box Office

04 Aug, 2014

“Guardians of the Galaxy” blasted past expectations at the weekend box office.

Marvel Studios’ cosmic romp starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista as members of an intergalactic band of rebels earned $94 million in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Ahead of its Friday debut, box office analysts initially projected that the comic book adaptation would earn between $60 million and $75 million in North America.

Our conversation with ‘Guardians’ star Michael Rooker

The out-of-this-world launch gives “Guardians” the biggest opening for a film released in the traditionally low-key month of August, a record previously held by the $69.2 million debut of 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum.” It also makes “Guardians” the third largest opening of 2014, coming behind the $95 million inauguration of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in April and the $100 million launch of “Transformers: Age of Extinction” in June.

“Guardians,” which also features Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing the computer-generated characters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, was originally considered a risky proposition for Marvel and “Guardians” distributor Walt Disney Co. because it features more obscure characters from the Marvel universe and is set almost entirely in outer space.

Despite any apprehension, Marvel was betting on “Guardians,” written and directed by “Slither” filmmaker James Gunn, to be a blockbuster. The studio announced at Comic-Con in San Diego last month that a sequel is already set for release in 2017. Marvel’s next films are the follow-up “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ant-Man” starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. Both movies are coming in 2015.

Disney noted that “Guardians” hauled in an additional $66.4 million from 42 international territories, including Russia, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and the United Kingdom, making it the first-place film overseas. “Guardians” is scheduled to land in such markets as Australia, India and Columbia next weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak.

1. “Guardians of the Galaxy,” $94 million ($66.4 million international).

2. “Lucy,” $18.3 million ($5.1 million international).

3. “Get on Up,” $14 million.

4. “Hercules,” $10.7 million ($14.2 million international).

5. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” $8.7 million ($47.5 million international).

6. “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” $6.4 million ($3.5 million international).

7. “The Purge: Anarchy,” $5.5 million ($8.1 million international).

8. “Sex Tape,” $3.5 million ($4.2 million international).

9. “And So It Goes,” $3.3 million ($650,000 international).

10. “A Most Wanted Man,” $3.3 million ($30,000 international).

AP

Image Twitter

Mentioned In This Post: