The latest installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, titled Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, had a remarkable opening weekend at IMAX theaters worldwide. The movie premiered on May 5 and managed to earn a whopping $25 million in IMAX theaters alone, making it the highest-earning opening weekend for the trilogy and the third-largest IMAX debut for an MCU movie, following Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The film was screened on 1,550 IMAX screens across 82 markets, grossing $10.7 million in North America, the second-highest IMAX domestic opening weekend for 2023. The remaining $14.3 million of the total $25 million came from the international box office, making it the third highest-grossing IMAX international opening for the month of May. The IMAX China network contributed $5.6 million to the international total, representing 19% of the China nationwide box office from less than 1% of screens in the country.
Along with the box office reports from IMAX, a statement was also provided discussing the new film’s massive success. “Our record-breaking box office momentum in 2023 is carrying into a summer blockbuster season loaded with ambitious, IMAX-friendly cinematic experiences — yet another great sign for our performance this year,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “James Gunn and our partners at Marvel and Disney leaned heavily into IMAX technology to deliver a visually stunning and emotional finale to this iconic franchise and we expect the strong audience response to yield a long, successful run at the box office.”
A Strong Opening Performance For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
By the end of its opening weekend, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has achieved a total of $282.1 million at the global box office, with $25 million coming from IMAX theaters, which accounts for almost 9% of the film’s total earnings.
The movie’s domestic opening weekend garnered $114 million, while international markets brought in a stronger-than-expected $168.1 million.
The film has been well-received by both fans and critics, with an 81% Fresh Rating from critics and an even higher Audience Score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
According to Collider’s Ross Bonaime, the film is “the best MCU film in years” and “the perfect goodbye to this gang of misfits.”