Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 clocked in a massive $145 million on its opening weekend in North America, making it more successful than the original. Directed by James Gunn, this American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics. The film is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars a band of misfits played by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper. The first instalment made $94 million in its first weekend. With a budget of $200 million, the Galaxy sequel is rated as the second-best opening of the year, following Disney's Beauty and the Beast ($174.8 million). A third part is already being planned as a crossover with Marvel's Avengers.
In an interview to Fox News, David Hollis, distribution chief for Disney, said, "We spent a lot of time looking at sequels and the idea of sequel-itis. Really, poor quality films have been the thing that has, more than anything, been rejected by consumers over time. The ambition here was to make something that was unbelievably fresh and exciting. As long as we can continue to deliver high-quality storytelling, high-quality world-creation, we'll be in great shape."
The film also received an A CinemaScore from audiences and an 82 percent "fresh" rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. A representative from comScore said that the sequel is likely to be one of the biggest summer hits. Following Galaxy 2, there are a slew of sequels getting ready to hit the screens that includes Alien: Covenant, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Cars 3, Transformers: The Last Knight, Despicable Me 3 and War for the Planet of the Apes.
comScore also released the estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters. Indian film Baahubali 2 took the seventh spot.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, $145 million ($124 million international)
2. The Fate of the Furious, $8.5 million ($30.1 million international)
3. The Boss Baby, $6.2 million ($11.9 million international)
4. How to Be a Latin Lover, $5.3 million ($5.6 million international)
5. Beauty and the Beast, $4.9 million ($11.9 million international)
6. The Circle, $4 million
7. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, $3.2 million ($43.9 million international)
8. Gifted, $2.1 million
9 Going in Style, $1.9 million ($3.1 million international)
10. Smurfs: The Lost Village, $1.8 million ($5.6 million international)
