Well, this isn't exactly a surprise! Despite the fact that we're still a good two plus months away from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, early box office estimates are pointing to a massive opening weekend in North America for the highly anticipated sequel from director James Gunn.
The first movie was projected to debut with around $70 million a month before it reached the big screen back in 2014, but it exceeded expectations with $94.3 million and went on to earn a massive $773 million worldwide, a figure which far exceeded expectations considering the fact no one outside of diehard Marvel Comics fans really knew who these characters were in 2013!
Going back to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, BoxOffice Pro is predicting an opening weekend of $160 million. That's a massive figure and one which beats the likes of The Dark Knight and comes close to record breaker Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Amazingly, this would be only the fifth biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe opening of all-time, but it's a great result for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and a pretty solid sign that it will ultimately gross over $1 billion.
It's obviously still very early days and a lot can change between now and May. For starters, the promotional campaign could send interest through the roof and mark an even bigger opening weekend than what's being predicted here, but for the time being, things are looking good for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. As always, let us know your thoughts on this news in the comments section.