We are now 10 days away from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s no understatement to say that this is a movie that Marvel has a lot riding on. Not only does it have to follow-up Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which, if the critical reviews and underwhelming box office results are any indication, was the straw the broke the camel’s back for many regarding the MCU, but it has to rewrite the narrative of superhero fatigue being a real thing and that audiences just wants better movies involving this subgenre of movies. Even though the early box office projections don’t look promising, Disney and Marvel Studios are allowing for early fan screenings for the movie that will air at selective theaters all across the U.S.A. for this upcoming Friday. I imagine this is in the mindset that Disney and Marvel believe that have a winner on their hand for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and hope that strong early word of mouth will have the movie outperform it’s early expectations.
Now, we already know that Guardians 3 was gonna be a big deal for Marvel regardless of the current state of the MCU. After all, this is set to be the final film regarding the property that at one point in time was considering the underdog for the MCU. Back in 2014, almost no one other than hardcore comic book fans had any expectations for the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves and it only has ended up being one of the most popular and loved Marvel franchises out there. With most of the original Avenger roster gone and only Spider-Man remaining as that one sole piece of the previous Infinity Saga puzzle, having this movie be a win is an absolute must. However, it’s not just Marvel that has much depending on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s also DC Comics as well.
The most obvious reason is the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn (alongside Peter Safran) will be leading the next DC renaissance going forward after the release of his final work with Marvel Studios. After all, you want to get the higher ups at Warner Bros a great first impression that the next run with the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.. will be in good hands by following it up with a comic book movie that’s a strong hit critically and financially. While that is undeniably important, there’s something much bigger at stake for the DC Universe if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is not a hit. That the new DC Universe is finished before it even begins.
While Quantumania certainly performed way below expectations in the box office was a clear sign of fatigue, you could also make the same argument for the previous two DC movies with Black Adam and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods as well. While there are certain folks out there that champion Black Adam, it’s been considered a box-office bomb due to only grossing $393 million with a $190 to a $260 million budget. Whether that has to due with The Rock’s own ego of refusing to work with Shazam! or not is beyond me but no doubt that was not encouraging. And if you were to tell me a movie in recent memory that came and went to theaters at the snap of Thanos’s finger, that would be Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, a movie that literally made it’s way to digital just three weeks after it released in theaters and is no longer playing in cinema despite it coming out a little over a month ago. If that’s not a sign of a studio letting a movie die, then I don’t know what is.
There might be an argument or two that the reason those movies tanked had to do with the fact that the mainstream audience is over the current DC universe and is now waiting for the next one to come around to support that one. But that’s the thing, what if that is not the case? What if those movies bomb because the mainstream audience is just feed up with DC and superhero movies in general? What if Superman: Legacy comes around in summer 2025 and it ends up performing below expectations as well? Even if Warner Bros were looking to move on from their current cinematic universe, letting those movies bomb hard in theaters despite having a budget of over millions of dollars was a very dumb move on their part and one that could cost them with their next cinematic universe.
That’s not to say there has been no superhero movie that has been a box office success in recent memory. Of course, there’s Spider-Man: No Way Home that made just under 2 billion dollars globally and is one of the most financially successful movies of all time. Last year also saw the success of The Batman making $770 million, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness making $955 million, Thor: Love and Thunder making $760 million, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever making $859 million. Regardless of what your overall opinions are on those movies, they were financial hits and four of the highest grossing films of last year. It’s not about the subgenre of what these movies are a part of, it’s about whether or not the word of mouth is strong enough that people will wanna go see these movies.
While Black Adam, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods underperforming at the box office is unfortunate and not a good sign for Marvel or DC, those properties weren’t necessarily the most financially successful out of either brand. However, if the superhero movies coming up that have proven to be box office hits such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, The Marvels, Deadpool 3, The Batman: Part II, Joker: Folie à Deux, and even The Flash come out and are NOT financial successes, then that will likely be the sign of fatigue and lack of audience investment.
With the comic book/superhero sub-genre having taken some beatings as of late, it’s gonna have to take a handful of successes from both fan/critical reception and box office numbers to fight the fatigue narrative that’s been going on recently. It’s not gonna take one hit or another but a handful of hits in a row to get the sub-genre back on track. And this will all start in the next coming weeks with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. If it’s a success, then that will be a step forward. If it’s not a success, then it will just add more fuel to the fire.
That’s why the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is majorly important not just for Marvel but for DC as well. Not only will it prove whether or not the mainstream audiences still view Marvel movies as a must-see but also whether or not they will see superhero movies in general as a must-see. This could decided if the DC Universe will have a chance to get a fair knock from the mainstream audiences or will it be just dead on arrival.
Even so, there’s no doubt that Marvel and James Gunn are aiming to end the series of the Guardians of the Galaxy on a high note. They know how important this is to themselves and the superhero sub-genre as we currently know it. Let’s hope the last run with our beloved galactic a-holes is one to remember fondly off.
Here’s a newest clip for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!
Other comments:
- And btw, I did secure a pass to an early screening for this Friday. I’ll be sure to have my review on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as soon as possible. If the movie is as anywhere near as good as I hope it will be, then I will no doubt want to spread the word on it’s greatness as quick as I can so this movie makes all the money it deserves.
Adam's Blog 