As has been expected for the past couple of weeks, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 officially surpassed the worldwide total of its series predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy, at the box office this weekend. Vol. 2 is still bringing in box office dollars at a fairly rapid pace, as the film is only in its fourth week of release, but currently, its worldwide total stands at roughly $783 million; the first installment ended its box office run with an impressive $773 million total.
Unofficially, Vol. 2 also outgrossed Guardians at the domestic (US) box office as well, with $333.2 million against Guardians’ $333.1 million domestic cume. However, early box office estimates are usually a couple hundred thousand dollars off, so it’s possible that Vol. 2’s numbers might change when the weekend actuals are reported tomorrow. Regardless, Vol. 2 will eventually make more than Guardians, whether it does so today or on Monday. This weekend, the film will rake in around $20 million domestically.
When the first Guardians was announced in 2012, the group of ragtag superheroes, including Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, were hardly known to general audiences. However, Marvel effectively built hype for the movie by hiring unconventional on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent and releasing hilarious and intriguing trailers that audiences couldn’t ignore. In 2014, Guardians debuted to $94 million during its opening weekend, shocking box office pundits.
This time around, Vol. 2 was expected to do big business, due to now being a widely recognized property, and it took in around $146 million for Marvel Studios over its first Friday-Sunday frame.
Outside of the US, Vol. 2 has found success in China, the UK, Russia and several other territories.
The Guardians of the Galaxy will return in Vol. 3, which won’t hit theaters until, at least, 2020.
SEE ALSO: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: 3 Things That Worked and 3 Things That Didn’t
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is out now and sees director James Gunn reuniting with returning cast members Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Glenn Close (Nova Prime), Sean Gunn (Kraglin) and Laura Haddock (Meredith Quill) alongside new additions Pom Klementieff (Oldboy) as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Ayesha, Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight) as Ego the Living Planet, Chris Sullivan (The Drop) as Taserface, Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) as Tullk and Sylvester Stallone (Creed) as Stakar.
