Scene from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” —PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS
LOS ANGELES, United States — Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” trounced the competition for the second straight weekend in North American theaters, earning $60.5 million for a global haul topping half a billion dollars, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The latest tale of oddball intergalactic mercenaries, human and otherwise, again stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel — this time on a mission to save comrade Rocket Raccoon from a scientist intent on removing his brain.“Guardians” had unseated Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” from the top spot the week before. But the video game-based “Mario,” which has now earned more than $1.
“Book Club: The Next Chapter,” a Focus Features sequel to a well-received romantic comedy for the older set, came third in its debut weekend with $6.5 million — described as a “slow start” by analyst David A. Gross, who also acknowledged that “older audiences take their time getting to these movies.”