‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ Tracking To $130M U.S. Opening

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Guardians of the Galaxy” writer-director James Gunn revealed in a recent interview with ComicBook.com that Zoe Saldana’s Gamora was nearly killed off in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” about a year before the character met her demise in “Avengers: Infinity War.” According to Gunn, it was Marvel executives that talked him out of the decision. “Gamora almost died in ‘Vol. 2,'” Gunn said. “I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after this]. And so I was going to have her die. I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself…I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito], and then it just didn’t work that well. It didn’t feel right, it felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story.”

Filmmaker James Gunn’s Marvel Studios swan song, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is blasting off this weekend, the de facto start of the summer box office, with an eye at $250M worldwide. Of that $110M is coming from domestic, and $140M from overseas.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the conclusion to Marvel’s trilogy about an intergalactic crew of misfits, looks to kick off summer moviegoing season with a bang. The superhero adventure is hoping to bring in $120 million in its opening weekend, falling in between the starts of 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” ($94 million) and 2017’s sequel ($146 million). There’s a chance that “Vol. 3” could fall short of those projections and land closer to a less-spectacular $110 million to $118 million, according to independent tracking services. Of course, it’s hard to chide a film that hits $100 million in its domestic debut. But the idea, especially for tentpoles that cost $200 million-plus, is to grow, not shrink, the fanbase with new installments. Reviews for “Guardians 3” are decent (it holds a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes) but sources say tracking has been stagnant in the lead-up to its theatrical premiere. That points to either mounting indifference to the newest phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a sign that Disney waited too long to conclude the “Guardians” story, which began nearly a decade ago and turned Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista into bona fide movie stars and writer-director James Gunn into an A-list filmmaker. At the same time, there’s not really a gauge for a franchise that’s 32 films deep.

James Gunn has weighed in on Ezra Miller’s future in the DC franchise, and it looks like things still remain up in the air.Earlier this week, Warners Bros. shared a new trailer for The Flash, the upcoming debut film adaptation of the long-standing DC superhero, which gave fans their first look at Michael Keaton’s return to portraying Batman.The film was beleaguered by multiple delays on the film’s production and development, including directorial changes, but it has also been the subject of controversy surrounding the behaviour of Miller, who plays the titular superhero.The actor was embroiled in a number of legal issues last year, most recently accusations of using violence and other intimidatory methods to influence an adolescent, as well as two arrests in Hawaii – one for disorderly conduct and harassment and another for second-degree assault.In January, they pleaded guilty to a trespassing charge related to a burglary case in Vermont.

BIG premiere, throwing one of the most-coveted bashes in recent weeks. Not to be outdone, Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival brought Zendaya back to the mic, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” actually took over a mile of Manhattan and “Citadel” stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden did the same in the heart of Westwood.

Never give up, because good things may be just around the corner. Case in point: Chris Pratt.

Pom Klementieff reprises her role of Mantis in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” with an added layer that she is related to Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill as of last year’s Christmas Special.During the “Guardians” Christmas Special starring Kevin Bacon that aired in November 2022, Mantis quietly brought up to Drax (Dave Bautista) that Ego was her father, meaning she is Peter’s sister. And that changes things going into this last fillm in the “Guardians” franchise.“The stakes are bigger for sure,” she told TheWrap.

When Peter “Star-Lord” Quill, while inspecting a murky extraterrestrial region, pressed play on Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” in the first “Guardians of the Galaxy”, it would have been hard to imagine that James Gunn’s space opera would ultimately lead to something as sincere, poignant and kinda cornball as the trilogy-ending “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3″.

Now that James Gunn is leading the DC franchise, what are the odds that audiences might see Superman sharing the screen with Spider-Man?

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has received mixed reviews, although some are hailing it “the best Marvel film in years”.Vol. 3 picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana).The Guardians find themselves adjusting to life on Knowhere as parts of Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) past resurface.

It’s easy to forget now, given the wild success of the franchise since, but remember the context of the time: filmmaker James Gunn did the unthinkable and overcame great odds with 2014’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 1.” Moreso than almost any other Marvel characters that led their own movies in the last 20+ years, the Guardians were mostly unknown C-list characters, and many skeptical pundits were expecting a bomb because audiences would be unfamiliar.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” star Sean Gunn says Rocket Raccoon has always been the “center” of the Guardians’ story.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic For those who didn’t know the Marvel catalog inside out, when James Gunn first unleashed “Guardians of the Galaxy” back in 2014, it felt like the company was suddenly calling in the B-team. Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor. Those guys were household names who deserved stand-alone movies. But Star-Lord? Drax the Destroyer? Lethal green-skinned Gamora, grunting tree-thing Groot and a sarcastic raccoon named Rocket? They felt like parodies of the better-known Marvel characters — not so much superheroes as a ragged crew of sci-fi scoundrels roaming the cosmos in search of trouble. The surprising thing was, “Guardians” turned out to be the most entertaining Marvel movie yet. The characters had chemistry and didn’t take themselves seriously (occasionally, not seriously enough). This crew genuinely seemed to enjoy saving the galaxy. In a way, they were an improvement on the Avengers, and much more fun than any of the misfired Fantastic Four movies — not quite as irreverent as Taika Waititi’s “Thor” sequels or the off-canon “Daredevil” films that would follow, but an aspirational template for what comic book movies could be.

It’s the 32nd Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, which means we’ve reached the point where they’re telling us the weepy origin story of a talking raccoon.Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is the order of the day in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the final entry in the trilogy, in which the furry wiseguy is nearly killed and his co-heroes must chase down the assailant within 48 hours to save his little life.Running time: 150 minutes.

So many stars were at the L.A. premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the film is getting some incredible reviews!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” held preview screenings and had its Hollywood premiere on Thursday, and that means the reactions are pouring in.And it’s a given that so far, those who saw it tonight mostly loved it.

Bradley Cooper is bidding farewell to Rocket Raccoon — at least for now!ET's Ash Crossan spoke to Cooper at the premiere of the final installment in the  saga, , where he revealed that he got pretty emotional watching a cut of the film, especially when he saw how Rocket's story unfolds.«He did talk to me about that initially too, that he had this sort of end game for Rocket, and us learning about his origin,» Cooper said of director James Gunn's plans for the franchise's final film. «You never know if that's actually gonna happen, and then low and behold, we get to this third script and I read it, and I go, 'Oh my gosh that's exactly what he talked about.'»He continued, «It was — emotional's the right word.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 will soon be arriving in cinemas – you can find details regarding its release below.Director James Gunn previously confirmed that the upcoming third instalment will be the Guardians’ final adventure together, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that the characters won’t appear again in other MCU films.Vol. 3 will reportedly see the Guardians adjusting to life on Knowhere as parts of Rocket’s past resurface.

Zoe Saldana is sticking to her own galaxy now. The Marvel star tells  that her upcoming film will be her last. «It is the end for me, for Gamora,» Saldana says in s cover story featuring the cast. Saldana's Gamora is a member of the Guardians — led by Chris Pratt's Star Lord — and former trained assassin under Thanos.

Refresh for updates….Disney will keep it relatively short this AM in their presentation of their creme de la creme this year on the big screen versus Warner Bros’ two hour, yet robust, session yesterday.