GUARDIANS OF
THE GALAXY
VOL. 3

A DELAYED FINALE

HOW VOL. 3 REACHED THE SCREEN

Disney and Marvel severed ties with Gunn on 20 July 2018 after old social media posts resurfaced. The studio later reversed course: Gunn was privately told in mid-October 2018 that he could return and was publicly revealed as rehired in March 2019. Production was put on hold until February 2021 while Gunn made The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker for DC.

“conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

James Gunn, April 2017

Gunn confirmed in September 2019 that he intended Vol. 3 to be his last Guardians film.

PRACTICAL SETS IN ATLANTA

HOW THE FILM WAS MADE

Principal photography began on 8 November 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta under the working title Hot Christmas and wrapped on 6 May 2022, with Gunn choosing to use mainly practical effects. The interior of the Guardians’ new ship, the Bowie, was a four-story set, and ILM’s StageCraft was ruled out because the sets were too big. John Murphy composed the score, replacing Tyler Bates. The film opens with an acoustic version of “Creep” by Radiohead and ends with “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine. The budget was $250 million.

THE FAMILY AND A NEW ENEMY

WHO IS IN THE CAST

The cast includes Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord and Maria Bakalova as Cosmo.

A BIG OPENING AND A LOVING FAREWELL

HOW THE FILM WAS RELEASED AND WHAT IT EARNED

The film premiered at Disneyland Paris on 22 April 2023 and opened in the UK on 3 May and in the US on 5 May. It opened to $118,414,021 in the US and went on to earn $358,995,815 there and $845,555,777 worldwide. Its second weekend fell 48%, to $62 million.

The post-credits scene ends with a note that the “Legendary Star-Lord” will return to the MCU.

THE REWATCH

AN 82% CRITICS SCORE AND AN A FROM AUDIENCES

Rotten Tomatoes lists an 82% critics’ score from 409 reviews and a 94% audience score, and its consensus calls it “a loving last hurrah for the MCU’s most ragtag family.” Metacritic gives it 64 from 63 critics, and audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an A. The Independent called it “the best Marvel movie in years,” while the Chicago Tribune called it “the most empty, brutal MCU movie yet,” and NPR’s review criticised the film’s depiction of animal testing.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards and won the Saturn Award for best superhero film, and Rocket won the Visual Effects Society’s award for outstanding animated character in a photoreal feature.

In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the MCU release order guide between Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion. It sits between Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels in the MCU movies in order and Marvel movies in release order guides. In the MCU timeline guide it comes between Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.