The recently released Hollywood movie, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," has grossed over $145 million. Last night, the studio estimates revealed that it earned 56 percent more than the 2014 film, “Guardians of the Galaxy," which grossed only $93 million in the opening weekend. “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" is based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. It is a joint project of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios.

About the film

It is the fifteenth film in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), written and co-produced by James Gunn. “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" features Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Chris Sullivan, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn and Sylvester Stallone.

In 2014, the movie was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con International before the official release of the original film. Principal photography began in January 2016 in Fayette County, Georgia, with several crew changes from the first film because of other commitments.

Visual effects are created by Method Studios, Trixter, Weta Digital, Framestore, Cantina Creative, and Scanline VFX.

Marketing and box office report

The film premiered in Tokyo and India on April 10, 2017, and its Hollywood debut took place on April 20, at the Dolby Theater. It was internationally released on April 25, 2017, and grossed $40 million on the first day from over 3,400 theaters. Marvel announced the film in summer 2016, with Groot playing the leading character.

Partners in the campaigns include Lego, Hasbro, LB Kids, Geico, Funko, Ford Motor Company, Dairy Queen, and Sprint Corporation. As of May 6, 2017, “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” has earned over $146 million in Canada and the United States and more than $280 million in other territories, against a production budget of $140 million.

Since tickets went on sale in the last week of April, the movie was one of the top five sellers on Fandango, surpassing the advanced sales of “Captain America: Civil War,” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” The movie earned $145 million on the first day, with IMAX contributing $12 million.

About $18 million came from Thursday night previews, and the movie was expected to earn $160 million in the first week. Deadline reported that the film had a potential to reach the $180 million debut of “Beauty and the Beast.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 85 percent based on 276 critics. On Metacritic, the movie scored 68 out of 100 based on 47 reviews.