Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Surprisingly Doesn't Beat Out Mario At The Box Office

If there’s one movie franchise that’s sure to get people talking, it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, the franchise has seen a ton of movies come to life on the big screen and breathed new life into superheroes from all walks of life. Still, many have wondered if Marvel’s reign is coming to an end.

While there is still a lot more to come from the MCU and plenty of films in the work, it seems the opening weekend wasn’t entirely riding the highs that it has enjoyed in the past. After all, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ surprisingly didn’t beat out ‘Mario’ at the box office, but does that mean Marvel should be worried? Perhaps.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 didn’t live up to box office expectations

Coming from Marvel and being a part of the ever-growing Disney franchise means plenty thought ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ was going to blow everything out of the water. After all, we’ve already had some massive releases this year, but Marvel always offers something unbelievable. It’s been unbeatable for years. That was until 2023 rolled around, and the threequel took home $114 million in its domestic box office opening weekend. While it might be a considerable number, it still falls short of the predicted $120 million.

Mario continues to beat record after record

At the other end of the scale is none other than the animated movie ‘Mario,’ with the film seeing Chris Pratt take on a very different role to his ‘Guardians 3’ part. Even though it’s already had a few weeks to shine, and many thought it would start to lose momentum, ‘Mario’ surprisingly brought home a whopping $146 million the same weekend. As well as beating out ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s opening weekend, ‘Mario’ continues to break record after record, including ‘Frozen II’s impressive title for the biggest opening in the US.

Previous Guardians movies have done better at the box office

There has been plenty of talk about whether or not the MCU is coming to an end. From behind-the-scenes drama to discussions of things being beyond unbelievable and everything in between, the ‘Guardians’ franchise is in a tough spot right now. ‘Guardians 3’ needed to do well, and while it might have brought home some impressive figures at the box office, it hasn’t lived up to the previous movies. After all, the movie’s predecessor, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ brought home $146 million during its opening weekend, smashing ‘Guardians 3’ out of the water.

Plenty are still eager to see a Guardians 4 movie at some point

Things were far from terrible for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3,’ they just weren’t what people expected. Still, they did give us the first cuss from Chris Pratt and brought our favorite characters - and some new faces - back to the big screen. Now, people are keen to see what ‘Guardians 4’ could have in store. Filmmaker James Gunn has always been the one behind the trilogy and has worked closely with the MCU, but that run has come to an end, with Gunn now set to lead DC into its new era. The loss of one of the driving forces behind the trilogy means things are still up in the air about a fourth movie right now. Still, fans are keen to get anything they can from the franchise, even if it means waiting patiently for ‘Guardians 4’ if and when it comes.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ surprisingly didn’t beat out ‘Mario’ at the box office, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the franchise has to worry. With a lot of competition and other films continuing to beat record after record, it was always going to be a difficult time for the MCU’s latest addition to shine.