New Disney (DIS) film “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” earned $282 million U.S. at the global box office over the weekend as the summer movie season officially kicked off.
The film, based on a Marvel comic book, scored $114 million U.S. at the North American box office and another $168 million U.S. from international markets between May 6 and 8.
Marvel movies now account for half of the dozen movies that have opened to more than $100 million U.S. in North American ticket sales since the start of the pandemic, according to media analysis firm Comscore.
However, the latest Guardians of the Galaxy film opened to less than the $120 million U.S. to $150 million U.S. expected by analysts.
The movie also earned less in its opening weekend that the $146.5 million U.S. taken in by its predecessor, “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2” back in 2017.
The opening of “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” is the start of what is expected to be a busy summer movie season, with analysts forecasting $4 billion U.S. in ticket sales between now and Labour Day.
Disney’s stock is down 6% in the last 12 months at $100.52 U.S. per share.
