ivelostr2

I believed this would be good in quality, but I didn't think it would do this well; I'm really glad ot did!

I saw it twice this weekend and I haven't seen a movie 2x in theaters since o' brother where art though because I saw it alone and then with my wife.

Paul_SD

I envy all you guys.
I have to drive to 17 hrs to Iowa later tonight and then it's going to be work every day until after Labor Day. The first chance I'll have to see this is long after everybody around me has casually dropped spoilers to every aspect of it for a month

Even without seeing it though, I wish it nothing but extravagant success.
Anything that rewards a studio for trying to broaden its cinematic vocabulary.
Adapting these properties should provide a studio with the possibility of dabbling in all kinds of genres. THAT is what makes the idea of 'comic book movies' seem to me evergreen and exciting. Anyone that thinks it's just about getting the same old same old every time out with better spfx, or a bigger fight, each time has a very limited, reductive imagination.

And with Whedon in the creative inner circle, I wouldn't be surprised at some point down the line to see one of the genres they try their hand at, being a musical. Just takes the right fit as far as property.

Matthew Chmiel

Whedon's contract with Marvel is completed once Avengers: Age of Ultron makes it to theaters.

From the way Whedon has spoken on the subject, that will be his last Marvel film.

hanshotfirst1138

There's always renegotiation . Maybe Whedon is just exhausted. I'm sure he hasn't slept much in years. Wonder who'll head up Phase III?

DaveyJoe

He's probably pissed about what happened to Edgar Wright.

stvn1974

I enjoy all of the Marvel films so far and I am sure some of that has to do with Whedon being at the core but I would like him to move on to original ideas for a bit.

Double_Oh_7

Everyone has a price. If Ultron delivers, Marvel will back up a Brinks truck to Whedon's house.

Matthew Chmiel

Probably not, especially as Whedon making it known he didn't want to do any more Marvel films came around the same time AOU was officially announced in 2013. Whedon has been given far more control than anyone at Marvel yet and I am sure he probably could've helped prevent the Marvel/Wright circumstance.

Marvel is not the big, scary studio system most internet fanboys have come to the conclusion to after the Wright debacle. There's no way a normal studio would give individuals like Gunn, the Russos, and Whedon carte blanche and $170M+ budgets to work with.

TimeSkip

If Guardians can do better than Transformers in its opening weekend it will give me a little extra shred of hope for the human race.

That's not too much of an exaggeration is it?

hanshotfirst1138

Not with Kodak about to go under, no. But it's still a very small shred.

TomOpus

I am thinking of seeing it again tomorrow to do my part to kick it above $100 million.

Paul_SD

Regardless of whether Whedon directs or scripts another film for Marvel, I'm sure he'll hover around the periphery for a while. Fiege is doing A-OK producing these films, but Whedon is more practical creative talent who will probably be doctoring scripts and shepherding more properties than we'll be aware of. He knows these properties from the source in a way even the best work-for-hire talent usually doesn't.

And you can count me among the people that don't think Marvel is the big bad corporate entity the Wright situation seems to suggest. You are working with other people's properties and that's going to require a lot more give than take. Probably because I'm one of the few that hasn't been that blown away by some of his previous films, I can't seem him as some creative savant beaten down by the man. Marvel is executing live action product the way Pixar was/is doing animation. The highs may not reach that level consistently, but the overall product has been consistently very good. I give them the benefit of the doubt here.

Double_Oh_7

I'm really surprised to hear about so many repeat viewings in just the opening weekend. Stoked to see it tomorrow.

hanshotfirst1138

I think they've hardly had carte Blanche either. Marvel is a multimillion dollar studio like any other, and I'm sure they don't give away the domestic earnings of Cuba to a director and let him do whatever the hell he wants. They've been relatively adventurous as far as mainstream properties go, but it's not like they've brought in Terence Malick or David Cronenberg or Terry Gilliam or something. I'm sure just how much creative freedom they get is a pretty right leash. And I don't think the fact that two of major Phase II directors-Taylor and the Russos-are TV-bred is an accident either. I'm not demonizing Marvel Studios, they've been fairly brave and have been doing great work. But the notion that they give $200 million to filmmakers to make art-house superhero movies is frankly more than a little implausible. When billions of dollars are on your doorstep, I have a feel people are artistic principles become more flexible, and it's not like we're talking about iconoclasts who want to shoot in black and white with subtitles here.

fumanstan

Glad to see this do so well. Marvel clearly knows what they're doing, and think Ant-Man will be no different.

superdeluxe

Early Weekend Estimates from Box office.com

1 Guardians of the Galaxy $95,000,000 -- 4,080 -- $23,284 $95,000,000 1 Disney

2 Lucy $18,100,000 -59% 3,202 29 $5,653 $79,387,385 2 Universal

3 Get On Up $14,900,000 -- 2,468 -- $6,037 $14,900,000 1 Universal

4 Hercules (2014) $10,000,000 -66% 3,595 0 $2,782
$51,648,048 2 Paramount

5 Dawn of The Planet of The Apes $8,500,000 -49% 3,283 -385 $2,589 $189,129,673 4 Fox

6 Planes: Fire and Rescue $6,600,000 -31% 3,241 -598 $2,036 $47,772,206 3 Disney

7 The Purge: Anarchy $5,400,000 -48% 2,656 -200 $2,033 $62,810,975 3 Universal

8 Sex Tape $3,500,000 -42% 2,500 -562 $1,400 $33,858,464 3 Sony / Columbia

9 And So It Goes $3,250,000 -30% 1,816 54 $1,790 $10,378,783 2 Clarius Entertainment

10 Transformers: Age of Extinction $2,160,000 -54% 1,732 -744 $1,247 $241,125,915 6 Paramount

11 Tammy $1,500,000 -57% 1,415 -1147 $1,060 $81,462,705 5 Warner Bros. / New Line

Ash Ketchum

Nice to see LUCY holding on. That's the best multiplex movie I've seen since DJANGO UNCHAINED and EXPENDABLES 2.

The Bus

That movie was terribly silly.

Ash Ketchum

Of course it's silly, but only to people who use just 10% of their brain.

Dr. DVD

I hope GotG holds on and TMNT drowns in the sewer (pun intended) next weekend.

TomOpus

Box Office Mojo is saying $94 million domestic + $66 million overseas = $160 million.

Matthew Chmiel

With Transformers: Age of Extinction underperforming domestically and WOM pretty much stating its the worst Transformers entry yet, audiences may not be exited for TMNT. It doesn't help matters that there are four films opening wide this Friday.

With how much Guardians is getting love from all over the place, I don't think the weekend drop will be the average Marvel 55-60% second weekend drop. I believe it has a good shot doing (or coming close to) $50M next weekend meaning the Turtles have to aim for $50M or higher.

dan30oly

That's not even remotely accurate.

TimeSkip

I'll probably go see GotG for a third time next weekend so I'll try my best to add to its numbers.

xraybies

I don't understand how it could be doing this well, a survey I took of my wife and her 3 friends in Bumfuck, Idaho showed they weren't interested in this movie which means it should have bombed.