Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" crosses $700 million mark worldwide

PanARMENIAN.Net - In the wake of its debut last weekend in China, where it bowed to $29.8 million, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on Wednesday, Oct 15 crossed the $700 million mark worldwide. The pic has collected $326.7 million domestically and $378.4 million overseas for a global cume of $705.1 million, and it currently ranks as 2014’s sixth top-grossing film worldwide, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Guardians, starring Chris Pratt, is the third Walt Disney Studios release of 2014 to pass the $700 million mark and the sixth in the last 18 months. It’s also the fourth Marvel film to reach that threshold, after Marvel’s The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And it’s the first Marvel release to hit that benchmark that’s the first in a series and doesn’t feature major characters from previous Marvel films.

Guardians’ China debut on Oct. 10 was the biggest October opening in that territory and Disney’s third-biggest debut there, behind Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The top international markets for Guardians include the U.K. ($47.3 million), China, ($43.4 million), Russia ($37.5 million), Australia ($24.4 million) and Germany ($24 million). The film opens in one remaining market, Italy, on Oct. 22.

Director James Gunn will return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy 2, due out July 28, 2017.