Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week.  Alright, people, Marvel’s personal opening weekend is here to save you from the April movie doldrums.  Bring on the Guardians!

It’s tough to believe that three years ago, no one knew (aside from deeply geeky geeks like myself) who the Guardians of the Galaxy were.  People scoffed at the idea that a anthropomorphic tree and a talking raccoon were frigging awesome!  I KNOW!  But thanks to great reviews and an empty August release date where it could dominate, Guardians made $774 million globally and turned a bunch of D-list Marvel characters into household names.  Flash to this year, and Guardians is the most anticipated movie of the summer.  I have no idea what the plot of the film even is because the entire ad campaign has been based on character moments.  Remember how much you love these guys?  THEY’RE BACK!!!  That’s literally been the campaign.  The amount of AWWWWs that happen every time Baby Groot shows up in a trailer is staggering.  The film tested at 100% with test audiences (that does not happen often), and  the reviews are only slightly lower than the first time around.  This should be a blast and Lord knows the whole world could use a blast and a break right now.

PS – A reminder to the idiots who still get up and leave at the end of a Marvel film: Guardians has end credits scenes.  FIVE of them.  Yes, FIVE individual end credits scenes.  So keep your can in your chair.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Chris Pratt, PG-13, 2hr 17m)

HOW DID WE DO LAST WEEK?
KT, literally got bored of how well F8 and Beauty and the Beast were doing and took a week off from the formal column.  We did pop in to say Fate of the Furious would repeat and repeat it did; beating How to be a Latin Lover $20 million to $12.3 million.

You look at that domestic gross for The Fate of the Furious in its second weekend, and it illustrates just how much of F8′s money is coming from overseas.  It’s doubtful the film will pass Logan for #2 domestically in 2017, but it’s roared past the $1 billion mark globally.  Essentially, the people in the US who were interested went the first week.  It’s the overseas market that is giving the film and the franchise all this new life.  It’s already the 18th highest grossing film globally of all-time after two weeks.  Beauty and the Beast has risen to #13, but it’s been out six weeks.

Beauty and the Beast has made a little under half of its box office total in the States.  It’s now the #9 film all-time domestically having kicked the original Star Wars out of the Top 10 last week.  This week it will pass Finding Dory to land at #8 where it’s likely to stay.  By comparison, The Fate of the Furious is ranked #184th all-time domestically behind Happy Feet.  Both films are international hits, but The Fate of the Furious is a much bigger deal overseas than it is in the States.
(2017 Prediction Record: 15-3; Lifetime prediction record 53-8).

 

WHO WILL WIN THE WEEKEND?
It’s not a question of whether Guardians will win the weekend, but how big and will it surpass Captain America: Civil War for Marvel’s largest opening weekend ever.  It would be huge if it passed the $174 million Beauty and the Beast opened with (2017’s domestic high thus far), but something in the neighborhood of $150 million seems more likely.