Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 Sweeps Up $17 Million in Early Screenings
Thursday screenings for Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 -- formerly known as the 'midnight shows,' [...]
Thursday screenings for Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 -- formerly known as the "midnight shows," although for big movies they're now opening as early as 7 p.m. the night before the film opens -- earned $17 million at the domestic box office yesterday.
That's the biggest preview audience of the year, beating out Beauty and the Beast ($16.3 million) and comparable to The Avengers's $18.7 million.
The total is slightly inflated as it includes a number of double feature screenings that also included the first Guardians.
Iron Man 3 brought in $15.6 million from previews before opening with $174 million in 2013.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 is currently expected to earn around $150 million in its opening weekend, about $55 million better than the first film in the franchise.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).
Next up for Marvel is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017. Spider-Man: Homecoming lands on July 7, 2017, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.
More Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2:
- Five MCU Questions Raised By Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
- Guardians Of The Galaxy: How Peter Quill Gets Awesome Mix Vol. 3
- Rocket Raccoon Co-Creator Finally Returning Home 25 Years After Hit-and-Run Accident
- Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2: How The Reveal Of [SPOILER] Will Change The MCU
- Every Cameo In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
