In 2012, Marvel Studios'
The Avengers had the biggest domestic gross with $623M. In the following year, Marvel once again had the highest domestic gross with
Iron Man 3, which pulled in $409M. And this year, Paramount's
Transformers: Age of Extinction is leading the North American box office. It is currently north of $230M. Why do I mention this? One, you can see that the North American box office is suffering a major decline from its blockbusters. Two, Marvel may end up with another box office champion. There appears to be no mountain high enough for James Gunn's
Guardians of the Galaxy as it is having a monster day. As of right now, the current estimates have the film earning
$36M to $38.5M on Friday (including
$11.2M late night Thursday). That puts the Marvel film on pace for a
$92M to $96M weekend. Keep in mind, that is fairly conservative as
Deadline is basing their numbers on a possible 20% decline Saturday and Sunday. Though, that may not happen in this case as it has received an
'A' Cinemascore from audiences. Marvel, come and get your love!
Meanwhile, Universal’s Lucy and Paramount’s Hercules are set to take a little tumble as they are expected to be down over 60% in their second weekends. Lucy will take the No. 2 spot.
1). Guardians of the Galaxy (DIS), 4080 theaters / $36M+ to $38.5M Friday
3-day est. cume: $92M to $96M
2). Lucy (UNI), 3,202 theaters (+29) / $5.4M Fri.
3-day cume: $16.9M to $18M (-61%) / Total cume: $78.2M / Wk 2
3). Get On Up (UNI), 2,468 theaters / $5.2M to $6M Fri.
3-day cume: $15.4M to $16M / Wk 1
4). Hercules (MGM/PAR), 3,595 theaters (0) / $3M Fri.
3-day cume: $10.4M (-65%) / Total est. cume: $52.1M+ / Wk 2
5). Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (FOX), 3,283 theaters (-385) / $2.4M Fri.
3-day cume: $8.3M to $8.6M / Total cume: $189.3M / Wk 4
6). Planes: Fire & Rescue (DIS), 3,241 theaters (-598) / $2M Fri.
3-day cume: $6.5M / Total cume: $47.7M / Wk 3
7). The Purge: Anarchy (UNI), 2,656 theaters (-200) / $2M Fri.
3-day cume: $6M / Total cume: $643 / Wk 3
8). Sex Tape (SONY), 2,500 theaters (-562) / $1.2M Fri.
3-day cume: $3.8M / Total cume: $34M+ / Wk 3
9). And So It Goes (CLARIUS), 1,816 theaters (+54) / $950K Fri.
3-day cume: $3.5M (-31%) / Total cume: $10.6M / Wk 2
10/11). A Most Wanted Man (RSA), 729 theaters (+368) / $ 760K Fri.
3-day cume: $2.96M (+10%) / Total cume: $6.7M / Wk 2
From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.
Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Commander Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector. James Gunn is the director and the story is by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, with screenplay by James Gunn. It releases in U.S. theaters on August 1, 2014.