By: Nadia Liu

Public Relations Manager

The third and final installment of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie series, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, premiered in theaters on May 5. Director James Gunn’s last chapter for the band of space misfits earned 114 million dollars in ticket sales in North America and 168 million dollars internationally, giving it a total 282 million dollar global debut for its opening weekend, an impressive amount compared to other recent superhero movies, such as Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania’s 106 million sum. The Guardians, receiving largely positive reviews from critics and audience alike, bumped The Super Mario Bros. Movie out of first place after four weekends atop the charts.

Gunn’s last addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows the beloved galactic group as they attempt to save Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) from the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), while simultaneously dealing with their emotional baggage from their previous adventures, such as Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) complicated relationship with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Mantis’ (Pom Klementieff) role within the group.

The final Guardians movie sees the return of its stellar cast, including actors Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. After appearing in a post-credit scene in the second Guardians movie, Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock finally made his official debut, providing an antagonist, as well as comedic relief. 

The movie’s ticket sales dropped only 47.6 percent between the first and second week out, the smallest second week drop for a Marvel film since 2018’s Black Panther and the third-best second week drop of any Marvel film since 2008. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 also broke the world record for most prosthetics used in a film, with makeup head Alexei Dmitriew and hair department head Cassie Russek using over 22,500 prosthetics, 500 wigs, and 130 facial hair pieces to create the movie’s galactic species. 

The film currently stands at an 83 percent critics score and a whopping 94 percent audience score. Wendy Ide of The Guardian described the movie as “a slightly overstuffed storyline with mischief, humor and the biggest of hearts.” Similarly, BBC’s Nicholas Barber called it “the most unruly and excessive of the trilogy, but it is as sweetly touching as any film with so many slimy, tentacled monsters in it could be.” 

Although the movie contains Gunn’s classic comedic relief, quirky characters, and heartfelt interaction, it also takes on a much more serious and somber tone, covering issues of animal cruelty and grief. The costumes, set design, and soundtrack are consistent with the other Guardians movies — elaborate and bizarre — and the motley crew feels overstuffed at times. However, the thrilling conclusion to the Guardians trilogy will also leave moviegoers crying, laughing, and feeling like a part of the wholesome Guardians family. The movie is a goodbye worthy of the lovable crew, and it is a definite must-watch for any Marvel, superhero, or action fan. (Sources: AP News, Forbes, MSNBC, Rotten Tomatoes, Variety)