‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Pushes Marvel Films To Biggest Franchise Of All Time
Labor Day weekend typically signals the end of the summer movie season and so it seems only fitting that now, as that season ends, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has taken the top spot as the highest grossing film of 2014. Not just summer, 2014, but for ALL OF 2014. The previous leader was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which opened in April and scored well over $259 million at the box office, and The Lego Movie, which finished with $257 million. Since its premiere on August 1st, Guardians has blasted off for over $262 million in domestic box office and over $500 million worldwide. Not bad for a silly little space movie that features a gun-toting raccoon and a walking, talking tree with a limited vocabulary.
The success of Guardians of the Galaxy continues Marvel Studios incredible run of crowd-pleasing films that have now earned almost $3 billion dollars collectively worldwide. This run includes 2012’s The Avengers, two Captain America films, two Thor films, and three Iron Man films, in addition to an Incredible Hulk film in 2008. According to Box Office Mojo, no other films series–and they are all connected–has even come close to this success, and that includes the Star Wars films (with all of the re-releases and special editions) and the James Bond franchise, that includes over 24 films (including Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again reprisal of the character for Warner Bros. in 1983). Star Wars has made collectively $2.2 billion, James Bond has made $1.9 billion, and Marvel Studios is at $2.8 billion in only ten films. A “Marvel” indeed.
And Marvel Studios are not stopping anytime soon as Joss Whedon is in post-production on Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man just went into production two weeks ago and many more projects are in the pipeline including a third Captain America film and Doctor Strange, which as we reported here at The Inquisitr, may or may not star Joaquin Phoenix as Master of the Mystical Arts, Stephen Strange.
The phenomenal success of these films, especially Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a property that was not widely known, even in comic book circles, shows that audiences are still in love with heroes, super or otherwise. Warner Bros., who own DC Comics are hoping that they too can latch onto this cash cow as they prepare their own cinematic universe with Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is a pseudo sequel to last summer’s moderately successful Man of Steel and will feature Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman coming together in what Warner Bros. hopes will be a new franchise in the Justice League. If the powers that be can’t come up with better titles than Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, then DC Comics film future could very well be still-born before it even gets going.
Regardless, Marvel Studios is on an unprecedented streak of cinematic success, and each film seems to get better as the greater mythology of the Marvel Universe is fleshed out. And, as the box office results tell us, Guardians of the Galaxy is the perfect film to expand that universe well beyond a businessman in a iron suit and shield throwing WWII soldier. Marvel Studios doesn’t just own the world, it owns the Galaxy.
[Image courtesy of Yahoo!]
