The galaxy is in safe hands.
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel's latest addition to its superhero canon, invaded Hollywood this weekend with the biggest debut on record for an August movie.
Guardians rounded up $94m, according to studio estimates.
The debut shattered the record previously held by Matt Damon's “The Bourne Ultimatum,” which bowed to $69m in August 2007.
“None of the characters involved in this movie are considered seminal to the Marvel universe in the way that 'Captain America,' 'Thor,' 'The Hulk' and 'Iron Man' are,” says David Mumpower, analyst for Box Office Prophets.
Critics and fans were ready for an original comic-book team. The movie earned a thumbs-up from 92% of the nation's critics, says survey site Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. This is Marvel's fourth film to open above $90m this year.
“Lucy,” Scarlett Johansson's thriller, took second place with $18.3m.
“Get On Up,” the James Brown biopic, took third place with $14m, meeting most expectations. It earned solid scores from fans and critics, scoring an A from moviegoers and a recommendation from 77% of reviewers.
