Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Box Office Opening Weekend Revised Upwards

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 took in a little over $118 million in its opening weekend, Disney announced today. That’s almost $5 million more than weekend estimates had pegged it. That isn’t a huge difference when it comes to a movie of this size, but it does widen the gap between Guardians 3 and Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, as well as narrowing the gap between vol. 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, which earned $146 million in its domestic opening weekend. The original Guardians of the Galaxy, which had fewer expectations on it, earned a little under $100 million.

The third film came with a massive $90 million promotional spend, according to Deadline, who reported the upwards-adjusted box office, which means it will need to make a little more money at the box office to earn a profit. Still, the movie has strong word-of-mouth and an A CinemaScore, both things that suggest it will have legs, especially compared to recent superhero movies like Quantumania or Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, which disappointed fans and has poor social media buzz.

The opening comes amid a broader discussion of “superhero fatigue,” with box office analysts wondering whether soft openings for recent DC and Marvel adaptations might point to trouble for tentpole blockbusters as a whole, and superhero movies in particular. Guardians director James Gunn, who recently took over as co-CEO at DC Studios, has admitted it’s a discussion, but said that at the end of the day, making a quality movie will win out, because audience care about the characters and want to be entertained.

In Marvel Studios‘ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past,” the synopsis reads. “Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life-a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

2022’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and the rest of the Guardians franchise, is now available to stream on Disney+ while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.