Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | May 5, 2023 | The 9th most profitable film of 2023

[nevermore]

6 minutes ago, SpiderByte said:

Yeah what could have possibly happened since Guardians 2 that could have changed theatergoing habits industry wide

 

The world may never know

Yet you posted that you are expecting 160+ in the tracking thread.

[thajdikt]

120-130M is bad (Still think it will go lower) but it will be good in context of how it is was looking. That doesn´t mean this is a big W for the MCU or anything like that, it´s still a massive disappointment. Two things can be true at once. With 120M it can potentially leg out to a ok but disappointing/underwhelming result, but any lower even with good legs it´s kinda a disaster performance. 

[Sckathian]

2 minutes ago, thajdikt said:

120-130M is bad (Still think it will go lower) but it will be good in context of how it is was looking. That doesn´t mean this is a big W for the MCU or anything like that, it´s still a massive disappointment. Two things can be true at once. With 120M it can potentially leg out to a ok but disappointing/underwhelming result, but any lower even with good legs it´s kinda a disaster performance. 

Yeah I don't see the point in pretending its not been coming in low; if it can rebound thats a great result driven by reviews. Its poor initial performance has to be seen as things outside of the film itself (i.e. a Marvel 'cool off').

[Mango]

36 minutes ago, grey ghost said:

130m is bad compared to peak MCU.

 

But it would be higher than what tracking suggested.

I think this is a good point. “Peak” MCU was arguably 2018-2019. BP, IW, Captain Marvel, and Endgame absolutely blowing away expectations as the hype for the MCU reached feverish peaks. 
 

Outside of No Way Home, which had the advantage of 20 years of nostalgia with the worst kept secret in Hollywood, plus arguably being the first big 4-quadrant event in a post-vaccine world all going for it, no MCU movie really has reached those heights. Strange 2 was highly anticipated for similar reasons as that film, and you could even argue expectations got the best of that film and really ended up being a con for it. Add in the mixed reception of phase 4 and it makes sense Guardians 3 isn’t exactly lighting it up in presales.

 

That said I think the doom and gloom is overblown a lot. A decrease from Vol 2 isn’t exactly the end of the world. Sounds like fans of the Guardians franchise itself will likely be invested in this one, and could lead to better legs.

[GOGODanca]

41 minutes ago, SpiderByte said:

Yeah what could have possibly happened since Guardians 2 that could have changed theatergoing habits industry wide

 

The world may never know

Since The Pandemic started:

NWH: 260m OW

DS2: 187m OW

BPWF: 182m OW

Thor L&T: 143m OW

Quantumania: 105.5m OW with atrocious rotten reviews

 

 

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

51 minutes ago, Sckathian said:

I mean this ignores a lot. He got two As from a pretty obscure brand already with Guardians. Even Stevie S had a C+ with the A.I. monstrosity. 

 

TSS had a lost against it; I don't think its fair to treat any of the pandemic films as a benchmark. And yes this includes the Cinema Score because it changed who was going to the cinema. 

 

EDIT: Also TSS does have a solid RT verified score so it feels pointless to argue it was somehow poorly received.

 

I've already addressed this. He got two A's with excellent films he made while being subject to tight oversight. There is no doubting that he has enormous upside as a director of mainstream films...as long as he is subject to that oversight. That edge he has is a huge selling point...as long as it is used in the right way at the right time.

 

It's the Seinfeld paradigm: Jerry Seinfeld on his own would just make a bland albeit popular sitcom - Mad About You style with no staying power. Larry David on his own would have made something incredible and subject to cult status, but would never have made anything for a mass audience. It needed the two together to make Seinfeld.

 

 There are flecks of bad judgement in both the first Guardians films where bad-Gunn comes out: the Jackson Pollock line and especially the horrible Drax "Whore" line to Gamora. But largely Gunn's tendencies are expertly negotiated to stay on the line of mainstream acceptability while feeling dangerous and exciting.

 

TSS gave him free reign and we got mega-Slither. Yes it was incredibly well received by those who watched it. Just like Scott Pilgrim. Just like Jesus Revolution. Just like Book Group. But great audience scores from evangelicals aren't going to pull non-Christians in to watch Jesus Revolution; great audience scores from the blue rinse brigade aren't going to pull non-yoga-moms to watch Book Group and great audience scores from moviebros and film Youtubers who follow James Gunn, enjoy 90s and 00s style edgy humour and don't mind mixing high levels of violence, kaiju and wacky shark men aren't going to pull in much outside of that demographic. Except that demographic is the most online, the most visible and the most vocal and is also *quite* big so it seems more dissonant. 

 

And Spielberg didn't have one enormously well received film before AI. He had about a dozen behemoths. Hardly an equivalent.

[fabiopazzo2]

2 hours ago, SpiderByte said:

The TV shows have been largely well received. One of the best reviewed Marvel releases of last year was Werewolf By Night, and Ms Marvel is the best reviewed MCU project full stop, despite what you hear people on here claim about the MCU having too many women or whatever

Dude Ms Marvel is a Classic forgettable Series. 
 

This is The proof about RT score doesnt mean anything.

no way IW had lower score than Doctor Strange or Spiderman 1/2(MCU). But is only an aggregator so fuck RT

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by fabiopazzo2

[PrinceRico]

Down to 77 now. Could it fall below MOM by Thursday. With reviews and a low opening this will not be pretty for marvel.

[Reddroast]

12 minutes ago, Ipickthiswhiterose said:

 

I've already addressed this. He got two A's with excellent films he made while being subject to tight oversight. There is no doubting that he has enormous upside as a director of mainstream films...as long as he is subject to that oversight. That edge he has is a huge selling point...as long as it is used in the right way at the right time.

 

It's the Seinfeld paradigm: Jerry Seinfeld on his own would just make a bland albeit popular sitcom - Mad About You style with no staying power. Larry David on his own would have made something incredible and subject to cult status, but would never have made anything for a mass audience. It needed the two together to make Seinfeld.

 

 There are flecks of bad judgement in both the first Guardians films where bad-Gunn comes out: the Jackson Pollock line and especially the horrible Drax "Whore" line to Gamora. But largely Gunn's tendencies are expertly negotiated to stay on the line of mainstream acceptability while feeling dangerous and exciting.

 

TSS gave him free reign and we got mega-Slither. Yes it was incredibly well received by those who watched it. Just like Scott Pilgrim. Just like Jesus Revolution. Just like Book Group. But great audience scores from evangelicals aren't going to pull non-Christians in to watch Jesus Revolution; great audience scores from the blue rinse brigade aren't going to pull non-yoga-moms to watch Book Group and great audience scores from moviebros and film Youtubers who follow James Gunn, enjoy 90s and 00s style edgy humour and don't mind mixing high levels of violence, kaiju and wacky shark men aren't going to pull in much outside of that demographic. Except that demographic is the most online, the most visible and the most vocal and is also *quite* big so it seems more dissonant. 

 

And Spielberg didn't have one enormously well received film before AI. He had about a dozen behemoths. Hardly an equivalent.

I love James Gunn's work. IS TSS edgy? Yes but it not as edgy as people make it out to be.... No. If you want to see him be full edgelord look up lollipop chainsaw as he wrote the script for that

[ChipDerby]

I can see why empire left the site, some of these opinions are out of control bad.

[GOGODanca]

its important for marvel that this movie have strong reception overseas which they really haven't had since NWH, they've pissed away goodwill in so many key markets

[Valonqar]

30 minutes ago, PrinceRico said:

Down to 77 now. Could it fall below MOM by Thursday. With reviews and a low opening this will not be pretty for marvel.

 

It's still at 7.1 average (MoM's at 6.5) which could point at being divisive rather than meh/mid. Those who love it, love it, those who don't don't. It isn't an agreeable "it's fine" shrug of a movie. 

 

12 minutes ago, GOGODanca said:

its important for marvel that this movie have strong reception overseas which they really haven't had since NWH, they've pissed away goodwill in so many key markets

 

Do we know why they've pissed away goodwill? What specifically did it? You can't fix a problem if you don't know exactly what it is. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Valonqar

[robertman2]

23 minutes ago, ChipDerby said:

I can see why empire left the site, some of these opinions are out of control bad.

Simply block everyone without a PFP

 

Works wonders for me

[ChipDerby]

Do people honestly not know why the MCU has been on this trend? I mean, it's pretty clear to me (besides the pandemic). The MCU had an unprecedented run, increasing year over year consistently, with little to no dilution to the brand. This hit with their season finale (Endgame). Then came the pandemic, and them trying to not just start a new phase, but completely went a different direction with character not seen before. So obviously when NWH came out, people were pining for the familiar. But now as they've been trying to recapture the magic, that rush from Phase 3 is gone. So they have to build it all back up again. Just look at any media, ever. Look at bands who have huge selling albums, who try to do something new and it just doesn't go over as well, and then have to revert to playing the hits. Or TV series where it has a perfect first season, but takes a few more to find that footing again. The MCU eventually will be fine, it just has to figure out what it wants to be now. Something new, or playing the hits?

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

44 minutes ago, Reddroast said:

I love James Gunn's work. IS TSS edgy? Yes but it not as edgy as people make it out to be.... No. If you want to see him be full edgelord look up lollipop chainsaw as he wrote the script for that

 

 

I enjoy almost everything he's done (other than Brightburn and about a third of TSS). I also think it's foolish/brave/desperate to give him the captain's seat on any mainstream big budget project without the kind of oversight Feige gave him in the first two Guardians movies and find it weird this is seen as some kind of wacky take.

 

I think it's possible to have the nuance to say, for instance, that I both really like Slither personally and rewatch it quite frequently and also that it was a weird film to greenlight for the budget it had and expect mainstream audiences to go to.

[CaptNathanBrittles]

A.I. is a far better film than anything Gunn will has ever or ever will direct.

[SpiderByte]

1 hour ago, GOGODanca said:

Since The Pandemic started:

NWH: 260m OW

DS2: 187m OW

BPWF: 182m OW

Thor L&T: 143m OW

Quantumania: 105.5m OW with atrocious rotten reviews

 

 

There are 3 movies coming out the same year as No Way Home you have extremely conveniently omitted.

[Valonqar]

16 minutes ago, ChipDerby said:

Do people honestly not know why the MCU has been on this trend? I mean, it's pretty clear to me (besides the pandemic). The MCU had an unprecedented run, increasing year over year consistently, with little to no dilution to the brand. This hit with their season finale (Endgame). Then came the pandemic, and them trying to not just start a new phase, but completely went a different direction with character not seen before. So obviously when NWH came out, people were pining for the familiar. But now as they've been trying to recapture the magic, that rush from Phase 3 is gone. So they have to build it all back up again. Just look at any media, ever. Look at bands who have huge selling albums, who try to do something new and it just doesn't go over as well, and then have to revert to playing the hits. Or TV series where it has a perfect first season, but takes a few more to find that footing again. The MCU eventually will be fine, it just has to figure out what it wants to be now. Something new, or playing the hits?

 

IMO, their new characters simply aren't interesting and they aren't doing interesting stuff with old ones either. In quite a few cases, fans felt that old favorite was sidelined and just a guest in the movie/on the show that was about a new character (that wasn't compelling to begin with). So it isn't just the case of new vs old but that they haven't picked the right newbies and don't give the oldies good stuff anymore probably because they are looking to phase them out. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Valonqar

[Ozymandias]

1 hour ago, PrinceRico said:

Down to 77 now.

 

RELEASE THE HOUNDS!

[GOGODanca]

Just now, SpiderByte said:

There are 3 movies coming out the same year as No Way Home you have extremely conveniently omitted.

I listed all the mcu sequels, if you wanna compare the 3rd guardians movie to a first shang-chi movie or eternals or black widow which was on disney+ for a character with no future you can be my guest but the covid excuse doesn't work anymore, guardians would be doing 150m+ OW if marvel hadn't put out so much crap in the last 2 years