This weekend, Marvel debuted the final James Gunn lead Guardians Of The Galaxy movie, and while it was critically received, it seems like Marvel’s latest couldn’t quite match or exceed its predecessor’s success.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Slightly Missing The Mark

Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Guardians Arriving To Take On Those Mario Bros.

As per Box Office Mojo, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 made $282 Million at the global box office this weekend; of that, $114 Million was from North American Box Office. By comparison, that puts it above the original film’s $94 Million opening but behind the second’s $146 Million opening.

This does put it ahead of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania‘s $104 Million opening. However, that put it behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s $181 Million opening weekend; and Thor: Love and Thunder‘s $144 Million opening weekend.

Based on this data, would seem as though the response to Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania has tempered some excitement for Marvel’s latest. With positive feedback from critics and fans alike; it’ll be interesting to see if Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 performs better in its second weekend.

 In our review of the movie, reviewer Hunter Bolding said:

This is a film heavy with emotional beats that might be too much for some viewers, but it’s backed up with so much charm, love, and care for these characters. James Gunn doesn’t miss and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ends up as a triumphant entry in the series.

Mario and Evil Dead Still Holding Strong; But A New Challenger Looms

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is still going strong in second place with $18.6 million. It’s now at a total of $1.15 Billion. Evil Dead Rise held the 3rd place spot with $5.73 million.

With very little in the way of high-profile releases next week, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seems poised to keep its top spot for another week; but the week after sees the arrival of Fast X which will likely pose a huge challenge to Marvel’s latest.

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