In a matter of weeks, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have delivered its first contribution to 2017, that of the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. By now, you’ve probably heard the news that it’s tracking for a massive domestic opening and seems to be faring well with critics, but what of those increasingly important overseas numbers?
According to Deadline, Star-Lord and company are set to bring in somewhere between $85 – $100 million from 37 international markets, theoretically surpassing Thor: The Dark World ($85.4 million) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($67.6 million). Still, it wouldn’t quite reach the bar set by Iron Man 3 ($141.4 million), but a return such as that is certainly nothing to sneeze at.
Personally, I believe that the film has more than a fighting chance when it comes to surpassing the original’s overall box office gross, which was totalled at $773.3 million. And, lest we forget, that feat was accomplished when nobody outside of devout comic book readers knew who these characters were, making it all the more commendable. But now that everyone and their mother is anticipating the followup, the sky’s the limit.
No matter what happens though, it remains obvious that Marvel is all in when it comes to this property. Whether it be the studios’ willingness to take things in general to a more cosmic level from here on out or the undeniable influence the “A-holes” are having on the line as a whole, it looks like this particular crew is here to stay.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens in North American theaters on May 5.