\u00ab\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2\u00a0\u00bb rocketed to an estimated $145 million debut in North America, kicking off Hollywood’s summer movie season with something the movie business has been craving: a sequel more successful than the original.<\/b>
\nNEW YORK (AP) — \u00ab\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2\u00a0\u00bb rocketed to an estimated $145 million debut in North America, kicking off Hollywood’s summer movie season with something the movie business has been craving: a sequel more successful than the original.
Director James Gunn’s second \u00ab\u00a0Guardians\u00a0\u00bb film opened 54 percent higher than the 2014 runaway hit, according to studio estimates Sunday.
That release, which introduced the intergalactic band of misfits played by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, debuted with $94 million in its first weekend.
Once a little-known, oddball property in Marvel’s vault, the \u00ab\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy\u00a0\u00bb have grown into one of the comic-book factory’s biggest brands.
The Walt Disney Co. validated the rise of \u00ab\u00a0Guardians, \u00a0\u00bb too, by moving it from August (when the original opened) to the first weekend in May. Marvel has used the same weekend to effectively launch the summer season for the last decade.
The opening for \u00ab\u00a0Guardians Vol. 2, \u00a0\u00bb made for about $200 million, is the second largest of the year, following Disney’s \u00ab\u00a0Beauty and the Beast\u00a0\u00bb ($174.8 million) . But it also turns back the tide of underperforming sequels, a developing scourge to Hollywood. Last summer saw a litany of sequels that failed to live up to earlier installments.
\u00ab\u00a0We spent a lot of time looking at sequels and the idea of sequel-itis, \u00a0\u00bb said David Hollis, distribution chief for Disney. \u00ab\u00a0Really, 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.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2\u00a0\u00bb scored on that front, landing an A CinemaScore from audiences and an 82 percent \u00ab\u00a0fresh\u00a0\u00bb rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In two weeks of international release, the film has also made $269 million overseas. A third \u00ab\u00a0Guardians\u00a0\u00bb is already planned, as are crossovers with Marvel’s Avengers.
But whether \u00ab\u00a0Guardians\u00a0\u00bb can turn the tide for summer sequels will be a much-followed story line as the season progresses. The bottom line of just about every studio depends on it.
On the horizon are big-budget sequels like \u00ab\u00a0Alien: Covenant, \u00a0\u00bb \u00a0\u00bbPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, \u00a0\u00bb \u00a0\u00bbCars 3, \u00a0\u00bb \u00a0\u00bbTransformers: The Last Knight, \u00a0\u00bb \u00a0\u00bbDespicable Me 3″ and \u00ab\u00a0War for the Planet of the Apes.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0I think this is going to be one of the biggest summers ever. Obviously last summer was a bummer. We had numerous sequels — well over a dozen — that didn’t live up to the promise of their immediate predecessor, \u00a0\u00bb said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. \u00ab\u00a0Summer 2017 gets us back on track. There’s a lot out there.\u00a0\u00bb
Fearing the might of \u00ab\u00a0Guardians, \u00a0\u00bb no other major studio releases debuted over the weekend. The gap between first and second at the box office was immense. \u00ab\u00a0The Fate of the Furious\u00a0\u00bb came in at no. 2 with $8.5 million in its fourth weekend. The Universal release, the eighth installment in the franchise has grossed $1.6 billion worldwide.
A handful of films in limited release opened including A24’s \u00ab\u00a0The Lovers, \u00a0\u00bb with Debra Winger and Tracy Letts ($70,410 on four screens) ; the Weinstein Co.’s \u00ab\u00a03 Generations, \u00a0\u00bb with Elle Fanning ($20,118 on four screens) ; IFC’s \u00ab\u00a0Chuck, \u00a0\u00bb with Live Schreiber ($40,416 on four screens) ; and Laura Poitras’ Julian Assange documentary \u00ab\u00a0Risk\u00a0\u00bb ($75,179 on 34 screens) .
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U. S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. \u00ab\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, \u00a0\u00bb $145 million ($124 million international) .
2. \u00ab\u00a0The Fate of the Furious, \u00a0\u00bb $8.5 million.
3. \u00ab\u00a0The Boss Baby, \u00a0\u00bb $6.2 million.
4. \u00ab\u00a0How to Be a Latin Lover, \u00a0\u00bb $5.3 million.
5. \u00ab\u00a0Beauty and the Beast, \u00a0\u00bb $4.9 million.
6. \u00ab\u00a0The Circle, \u00a0\u00bb $4 million.
7. \u00ab\u00a0Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, \u00a0\u00bb $3.2 million.
8. \u00ab\u00a0Gifted, \u00a0\u00bb $2.1 million.
9 \u00ab\u00a0Going in Style, \u00a0\u00bb $1.9 million.
10. \u00ab\u00a0Smurfs: The Lost Village, \u00a0\u00bb $1.8 million.<\/p>\n

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Similarity rank: 12<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 1.8<\/div>\n

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