Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (marketed as Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3) is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, it features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, and Sylvester Stallone. In the film, the other Guardians race to save the life of Rocket (Cooper) from his creator, the High Evolutionary (Iwuji), who is an alien scientist trying to perfect the universe.
James Gunn had initial ideas for a third and final Guardians of the Galaxy film by November 2014, and announced his return to write and direct in April 2017 ahead of Vol. 2's release. Vol. 3 explores the origin story of Rocket, with whom Gunn personally identifies. Disney fired Gunn from Vol. 3 in July 2018 after controversial jokes he made on Twitter resurfaced. Gunn received support from several cast members, and the studio reversed course by that October. His return was publicly revealed in March 2019, and he restarted work on the film after completing his film The Suicide Squad (2021) and the first season of its spin-off series Peacemaker (2022) for DC Films. New cast members, including Iwuji and Poulter, joined by the start of filming, which took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 2021 to May 2022.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premiered at Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023, and was released in the United States on May 5, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. Like its predecessors, it was a critical and commercial success, with many critics deeming it to be a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. It grossed over $845.6Â million worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2023. At the 96th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Visual Effects.
Plot
At their new headquarters on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy are attacked by Adam Warlock, a Sovereign warrior created by High Priestess Ayesha who seeks to destroy them for stealing from her. After critically wounding Rocket, Adam is stabbed by Nebula and flees. The Guardians' med-packs are ineffective at healing Rocket's wounds due to a kill switch embedded in him by the organization Orgocorp. The Guardians travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the switch's override code and save Rocket's life.
As Rocket lies dying, he recalls his past. He was found and experimented on as a baby raccoon by the High Evolutionary, leader of Orgocorp, who aimed to enhance and anthropomorphize animal lifeforms into "Humanimals" for an ideal society, Counter-Earth. Rocket's fellow Batch 89 test subjects included the otter Lylla, walrus Teefs, and rabbit Floor. Rocket's insights were used to improve later batches of Humanimals although the High Evolutionary was angry that one of his creations could solve a problem that he could not. The High Evolutionary planned to harvest Rocket's brain and incinerate all of Batch 89. Rocket tried to rescue his friends, but the High Evolutionary killed Lylla and mocked Rocket's grief. Enraged, Rocket attacked the High Evolutionary while henchmen killed Teefs and Floor during the chaos. Rocket killed the henchmen and then escaped in a spaceship.
In the present, an alternate version of Gamora, who has joined the Ravagers, helps the Guardians infiltrate Orgocorp. They retrieve Rocket's file but discover that Theel, one of the High Evolutionary's advisors, has removed the override code. The Guardians and Gamora travel to Counter-Earth to find him. They are followed by Ayesha and Adam after the High Evolutionary, their race's creator, threatened to wipe out the Sovereign if they failed to retrieve Rocket. At Counter-Earth, Drax and Mantis remain with Gamora and Rocket while Peter Quill, Groot, and Nebula go to the High Evolutionary's ArĂȘte Laboratories complex. Guards force Nebula to wait outside due to her cybernetic enhancements; Quill and Groot enter ArĂȘte. Drax tricks Mantis into pursuing Quill's group and Gamora saves Rocket from Adam and War Pig, one of the High Evolutionary's Hellspawn guards.
The High Evolutionary agrees with Quill that Counter-Earth is imperfect and begins bombarding the entire planet, killing the Humanimals and Ayesha. ArĂȘte, which is actually a spaceship, departs as Nebula, Drax, and Mantis board it to rescue Quill and Groot. However, the latter pair jump off the spaceship with Theel, whom they kill before retrieving the override code from his corpse. They are rescued by Gamora on their ship. As they use the code, Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience in which he reunites with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla tells him his time has not yet come, and Quill succeeds in disabling the kill switch and restarting Rocket's heart.
Drax, Nebula, and Mantis encounter the High Evolutionary's next batch of test subjectsâgenetically modified humanoid childrenâbefore they are captured. The other Guardians orchestrate a rescue, which leads to a battle against the High Evolutionary's forces. Kraglin opens fire on ArĂȘte with Knowhere and then helps to save Knowhere citizens from a counter-attack by the High Evolutionary's Hellspawn. Intent on retreat, the High Evolutionary's crew mutinies, but their leader kills them. Drax, Nebula, and Mantis befriend three monstrous Abilisks to escape and reunite with the rest of the Guardians. The Guardians delay leaving ArĂȘte, choosing to rescue the children, who escape to Knowhere via a tunnel constructed by Cosmo's telekinesis. Rocket discovers imprisoned animals on the ship and is confronted by the High Evolutionary, whom the other Guardians defeat. Rocket spares the High Evolutionary, and the Guardians help the animals escape to Knowhere. Quill nearly dies trying to reach Knowhere but is saved by Adam, whom Groot had earlier rescued from ArĂȘte's destruction.
Quill decides to leave the Guardians, names Rocket as the new captain, and reunites with his grandfather Jason on Earth. Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, Gamora rejoins the Ravagers, and Nebula and Drax remain on Knowhere to raise the rescued children. The new GuardiansâRocket, Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam, Phyla (one of the rescued children), and Adam's pet Blurpâlater take on a mission.
Cast
- Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord:
The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers, the Ravagers. In the film, Quill is in a "state of depression" following the appearance of a variant of his dead lover Gamora, who does not share the same affection for Quill as her older version had for him, which in turn affects his leadership of the Guardians. - Zoe Saldaña as Gamora:
An orphan who seeks redemption for her past crimes, and was adopted and trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin. The original version of Gamora, a member of the Guardians, was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and an alternate version of the character traveled to the present in Avengers: Endgame (2019); Saldaña reprises the latter role in this film, now serving as a member of the Ravagers. Saldaña stated that Vol. 3 would be the final time she would portray Gamora, noting that she originally signed to play her in one film and ended up playing the role for much longer, a role she was grateful to play due to the impact it especially had on female fans. - Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer:
A member of the Guardians and a highly skilled warrior whose family was slaughtered by Ronan the Accuser, under the instructions of Thanos. Bautista stated that Vol. 3 would be the final time he would portray Drax, having been grateful for the role, while still calling it a "relief" to have concluded his time with the character, given the long hours needed to get into makeup and hoping to pursue more dramatic acting roles. Because of Bautista's decision, writer and director James Gunn opted not to include Drax in the post-credits scene. - Karen Gillan as Nebula:
A member of the Guardians, a former Avenger, and Gamora's adoptive sister who, similarly to her, was trained by their adoptive father Thanos to be his personal assassin. Gillan believed Nebula was developing into a "slightly different person" with more levity as she starts to heal psychologically following the death of Thanos, who was the source of her abuse and torment. Vol. 3 fulfills a character arc for the character Gunn envisioned when starting work on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), going from a minor villain to a member of the Guardians. The film teases a possible romance between Star-Lord and Nebula, but Gunn denied having ever considered the two becoming a couple. Despite this, Gillan felt that Nebula harbors a small crush on Quill. - Pom Klementieff as Mantis: A member of the Guardians with empathic powers, and Quill's half-sister.
- Vin Diesel as Groot:
A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid and the accomplice of Rocket. Austin Freeman, who played Randy in the Loki season one episode "The Variant" (2021), provided on set motion-capture for Groot. - Bradley Cooper as Rocket:
A member of the Guardians and a former Avenger who is a genetically engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter and a master of weapons and military tactics. Gunn said that the film tells Rocket's story, including his background and "where he's going", along with how that ties into the other Guardians and the end of this iteration of the team. The film completes a character arc that was established in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and continued in Infinity War and Endgame. Sean Gunn once again provided on set motion capture for the character, while also voicing young Rocket. Cooper also voiced adolescent Rocket while Noah Raskin voiced baby Rocket. - Will Poulter as Adam Warlock:
A powerful artificial being created by the Sovereign to destroy the Guardians. Given Warlock is newly born from the Sovereign's cocoon, he is "basically a baby" that "does not understand life very well". Poulter believed there was "a lot of comedy" in someone just entering the world for the first time and "trying to develop his moral compass", while also having "some genuine pathos". Gunn thought Warlock's interactions with the Guardians provided "an interesting juxtaposition" to what their journey has been, and described him as a more traditional superhero compared to the Guardians, although not necessarily a hero. - Sean Gunn as Kraglin: A member of the Guardians and Yondu Udonta's former second-in-command in the Ravagers.
- Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary:
An alien cyborg scientist and CEO of OrgoCorp specializing in creating hybrid creatures and Rocket's creator, seeking to forcibly enhance all living beings into a "special race" where he has been credited as creating the Animen, the Humanimals, the Hell Spawn, the Sovereign, the Xeronians, and the Star Children. Iwuji described the character as "narcissistic, sociopathic, but very charming", adding that there was "something very Shakespearean about him, there's something very emotionally dark about him, and he's a lot of fun on top of all that". In preparation for the role, Iwuji listened to his character's taste for classical music in contrast to the American rock and pop music songs played in the film, allowing Iwuji to go back to his favorite arias and operas, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (1786) and Don Giovanni (1787). Gunn likened the High Evolutionary to "a space version" of Doctor Moreau from Island of Lost Souls (1932), a film Gunn is a big fan of, calling him "a detestable character". Gunn described the High Evolutionary as the "cruelest MCU villain" up to that point due to how he negatively impacts the lives of Rocket and his fellow subject friends, while Iwuji and Gunn ensured they avoided giving the character any intentional sympathy unlike previous MCU villains such as Thanos or Killmonger, instead opting to focus on the character's single mindedness and his narcissistic and zealous personality, which was likened to some of the "most horrific" historical figures. - Linda Cardellini as Lylla:
An anthropomorphic otter who is an associate and friend of Rocket. Cardellini provided both the voice and motion capture for Lylla, having previously played Laura Barton in past MCU media. - Nathan Fillion as Master Karja: An orgosentry at Orgocorp.
- Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord: A high-ranking Ravager.
Reprising their respective roles from previous Guardians films and/or The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) are Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, the golden High Priestess and the leader of the Sovereign people who created Adam Warlock to destroy the Guardians; Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex, a high-ranking Ravager; Seth Green as the voice of Howard the Duck; Christopher Fairbank as the Broker; Stephen Blackehart and Rhett Miller as Steemie and Bzermikitokolok, two denizens of Knowhere; Gregg Henry as Quill's grandfather Jason; and Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, the former head of the Ravagers and Peter's deceased mentor. Maria Bakalova reprises her voice and motion capture role from the Holiday Special as Cosmo, a member of the Guardians who is a sapient dog that developed psionic abilities after being abandoned in outer space by the Soviet Union. Gunn changed Cosmo's gender from male, as depicted in the comics, to female for the film, as a tribute to the character's original inspiration, Laika, a Soviet space dog who became one of the first animals in space. Cosmo was physically portrayed by dog actor Slate, after also doing so for the Holiday Special, and was previously portrayed by dog actor Fred in the first two Guardians films. Tara Strong (who voiced Miss Minutes in the Disney+ series Loki) voices Mainframe who was previously voiced by an uncredited Miley Cyrus in Vol. 2. Jared Gore provides motion capture for Krugarr, a Ravager who wields sorcery powers and speaks through his sorcery.
Asim Chaudhry voices Teefs, an anthropomorphic walrus; Mikaela Hoover (who played Nova Prime's assistant in the first film) voices Floor, an anthropomorphic rabbit; Daniela Melchior appears as Ura, the receptionist at Orgocorp; Miriam Shor and Nico Santos appear as Recorder Vim and Recorder Theel, respectively, the scientifically minded henchmen of the High Evolutionary; Jennifer Holland appears as Administrator Kwol, a security employee of Orgocorp; Kai Zen appears as Phyla, one of the High Evolutionary's Star Child prisoners; Judy Greer (who played Maggie Lang in the first two Ant-Man films) voices War Pig, a cyborg pig and member of the Hell Spawns working for the High Evolutionary; Reinaldo Faberlle voices Behemoth, a cyborg bird and member of the Hell Spawns who also works for the High Evolutionary; Dee Bradley Baker voices Blurp, a furry F'saki that is an unnamed Ravager's pet; and Dane DiLiegro appears as an Humanimal octopus drug dealer on Counter-Earth (credited as "Unsavory Octopus").
Cameo appearances in the film include Lloyd Kaufman as Gridlemop, a Krylorian on Knowhere who partakes in a card game with Kraglin; Pete Davidson as Phlektik, a guard at ArĂȘte Laboratories; Molly C. Quinn as a Ravager; and writer and director James Gunn as the voice of Lambshank, a deformed experiment of the High Evolutionary that is among those freed by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn originally wrote the role for Stan Lee and planned to have him record Lambshank's voice instead of traveling to Atlanta due to Lee's growing age, before designing the character's face to resemble Lee's. After Lee's death, Gunn chose to take over the role.
Pre-production
Pre-production work creating the designs and visuals for the film began by April 2021. In early May, Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released on May 5, 2023. Later that month, Gunn said Vol. 3 would take place after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), which features several Guardians characters. That film concludes the storyline established in Endgame which sees Thor journey off with the Guardians. Gunn noted this ending was decided upon "in editing" and conflicted with his already-submitted screenplay for Vol. 3, since he never planned to feature Thor in the film, as he did not "understand the character that much" nor how to write Thor. Gunn had begun storyboarding the film by June, with filming later revealed to begin in November 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia for an expected end around April 2022. By then, Bautista said he had not read a script for Vol. 3 and was unsure if it had changed during the production delays. The next month, Gillan said that she and Klementieff had read the script together and she found it to be incredible, brilliant, emotional, and funny. She also felt it was Gunn's "strongest work yet" with the Guardians characters. Gunn reiterated that the script had "basically stayed the same" from three years prior but he had been "playing with it in little ways" over the years. He was in the middle of another draft by the end of the month and said the film would be emotional and have a "heavier" story than the previous films, with a more grounded approach that was inspired by The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. An early option Gunn had in mind for the character who would become the film's main villain and be revealed to be the one who created Rocket was the Fantastic Four villain Annihilus, but Gunn ultimately opted to fill that role with the High Evolutionary. Gunn originally wrote a cameo appearance for Kumail Nanjiani, a friend of his, but removed this after learning Nanjiani was cast as Kingo in Marvel Studios' Eternals (2021).
By late August, Gunn and Marvel Studios began meeting with actors for the role of Adam Warlock, including Will Poulter, who auditioned for the role over Zoom before an in-person screen test with Gunn in Atlanta. Poulter initially knew the character had been teased at the end of Vol. 2, but was not told the character's name until he was "drip-fed" information about Warlock's "steeped" comic book history with the High Evolutionary. George MacKay had also been on the shortlist and Regé-Jean Page was considered for the part, while David Corenswet also auditioned and Aaron Pierre was almost cast in the role; the latter two were later cast by Gunn for the DC Universe (DCU) franchise, as Superman and John Stewart / Green Lantern respectively. Gunn found it difficult to integrate the character into the story, despite setting up the character's appearance at the end of Vol. 2, calling his inclusion "kind of fitting a weird square peg into a round hole". In September, Gillan reiterated her positive comments about the script and said the film would explore the characters from the previous Guardians films on a deeper level, while Seth Green, who voices Howard the Duck in the MCU, said the film would be about Gamora and Nebula's story. He did not know at that time if Howard would appear after doing so in the previous Guardians films. Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock in October, and Gunn said "dozens of roles" had already been cast. Poulter was chosen for the part because of his dramatic and comedic abilities and because Gunn "wanted somebody who was youthful" and would fit with Marvel Studios' future plans for the character. Casting also took place for various background roles, including aliens and security guards. Pratt began rehearsals and camera tests later that month, and a production meeting was held in early November, shortly before the start of filming. Gunn also reiterated his comments on not resurrecting Yondu in the film.
Filming
Principal photography began on November 8, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Hot Christmas. Henry Braham served as cinematographer, after doing so for Vol. 2, The Suicide Squad, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Filming was previously scheduled to begin in January or February 2019 prior to Gunn's firing, and then in February 2021, before Gunn began work on Peacemaker. With the start of filming, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he would return as Stakar Ogord from Vol. 2, and Gunn posted a photo of the main cast members which revealed that Chukwudi Iwuji was part of the film following his collaboration with Gunn on Peacemaker. Iwuji's screen test for the film was shot on the set of Peacemaker with that series' crew, and Marvel repaid this favor by letting Gunn use the Vol. 3 set and crew to film Ezra Miller's cameo appearance as Barry Allen / The Flash for the Peacemaker first-season finale.
Production designer Beth Mickle said Gunn chose to mainly use practical effects for Vol. 3 after they did so with their work on The Suicide Squad. In February 2021, Gunn stated the film would be shot using Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology that was developed for the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019-2023), but in October, he said they would not be able to use the technology because the sets were too big, believing they were larger than the sets used on The Suicide Squad. The interior of the Guardians' new ship, the Bowie, was a four-story set. Judianna Makovsky served as costume designer. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was filmed at the same time as Vol. 3, from February to late April 2022, with the same main cast and sets. Gunn enjoyed being able to switch to filming the special after doing scenes for Vol. 3, given the tonal difference between the two with Vol. 3 being more "emotional", feeling it helped provide a "relief" to the actors as well, and called the Holiday Special shoot easier than Vol. 3. In February 2022, Callie Brand was revealed to appear in the film as an alien. Shooting was also expected to occur in London, England, in late 2021. Vol. 3 is the first MCU film to feature the word "fuck" uncensored; it is spoken by Quill. The dialogue "Open the fucking door" was not scripted, but improvised by Pratt on Gunn's suggestion, although, there was some consideration over giving the one-liner to Groot instead. Gunn was inspired by the Korean film The Villainess (2017) for the action scenes in Vol. 3. Filming on Vol. 3 wrapped on May 6, 2022.
Post-production
In early June 2022, Daniela Melchior was revealed to have a small role in the film, after previously starring in The Suicide Squad. Debicki was also confirmed to be reprising her role as Ayesha, while Maria Bakalova and Nico Santos were also revealed to be appearing in the film. In July, Iwuji and Bakalova were revealed to be portraying the High Evolutionary and Cosmo the Spacedog, respectively. Cosmo was physically portrayed by dog actor Fred in the first two Guardians films, and Slate in the Holiday Special and Vol. 3. The following month, Michael Rosenbaum revealed that he had reprised his role as Martinex from Vol. 2 in the film. In October 2022, it was revealed that Bakalova would appear as Cosmo in the Holiday Special ahead of her role in Vol. 3. In February 2023, Asim Chaudhry revealed he had a role in the film, voicing Teefs, and in April, Linda Cardellini and Tara Strong were revealed to have respectively voiced Lylla and Mainframe. Cardellini previously appeared in multiple MCU projects as Laura Barton, starred in the Gunn-written films Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and had a cameo in Gunn's film Super (2010), while Strong replaced Miley Cyrus, who voiced Mainframe in Vol. 2, due to Cyrus being unavailable. Two days of reshoots occurred.
The visual effects were provided by Framestore, WÄtÄ FX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Rodeo FX, Rise FX, Crafty Apes, BUF, Lola VFX, Perception, and Compuhire. Stephane Ceretti returned from the first film to serve as the visual effects supervisor, while Fred Raskin returned from the first two films to serve as the editor, alongside Greg D'Auria, who returned from the Holiday Special. Additional editing was provided by Tatiana S. Riegel.
Music
In April 2017, Gunn felt the music for the film would be different from what was used for the first two films' soundtracks, Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The next month, he added that he was "panicking" about the soundtrack and had to make some "pretty specific choices" shortly due to the wider range of available music for the story, By early July 2017, Gunn had narrowed down his choices for potential songs to 181, but noted that this list could grow again. All of the songs for the film had been selected by the following month; the songs are not modern and come from Quill's Zune that he received at the end of Vol. 2, although Gunn added that the soundtrack was not limited to 1970s pop songs compared to the first two films, instead spanning multiple decades. Gunn was unable to use the song "Russian Roulette" by the Lords of the New Church for Vol. 3 due to a legal battle over its ownership. The film opens with an acoustic version of "Creep" by Radiohead, which provided "a much different tone from the beginning than the other two films". The film ends with "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine, as Gunn is a fan of its album Lungs; he had thought about including the song to wrap-up the trilogy since he started writing Vol. 2.
The track list for Awesome Mix Vol. 3 was revealed in April 2023, and was made available on Spotify and Apple Music on April 3 as part of a larger Guardians of the Galaxy: The Official Mixtape playlist, which also featured the soundtracks and scores from the previous two films. Awesome Mix Vol. 3 was released by Hollywood Records on CD and digital download on May 3, 2023, a 12" 2-LP vinyl on May 5, and on cassette on July 7.
In October 2021, Gunn revealed that John Murphy was composing the film's score and had already recorded music to be played on set during filming. Murphy replaces Tyler Bates, who composed the score for the first two films. However, Bates' theme from the previous films were referenced; Murphy had also replaced Bates as composer of The Suicide Squad after Bates left that film during production. Murphy's original score for the film was released digitally on May 3, 2023.
Marketing
The film was discussed during Marvel Studios' panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, where the first footage was revealed. Iwuji was also announced as playing the High Evolutionary, appearing at the panel in costume. Gunn stated the footage was not released publicly because the visual effects were not complete enough for "repeated views and close inspection". An official trailer was released on December 1, 2022, during the CCXP. It featured "In the Meantime" by Spacehog. Drew Taylor of TheWrap called the trailer a doozy, thrilling, and emotional, and stated that "Gunn's patented, rollicking 'Guardians of the Galaxy' tone is very much in place", and noted "an undercurrent of extreme melancholy". Carson Burton of Variety predicted from the trailer that the film would be "shaping up to be an emotional ending" by showing Rocket's memories and Star-Lord missing Gamora. Jay Peters at The Verge said the trailer intrigued him as a "wild ride across the stars" with different planets.
A second trailer for the film was released during Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023. It featured "Since You Been Gone" by Rainbow. Grant Hermanns of Screen Rant felt the trailer gave "a deeper look" at the film, particularly Adam Warlock's powers as compared to his brief appearance in the first one. Hermanns also said the second trailer "goes a step further in highlighting the emotional story" after the first one "efficiently set [the film's] tone, featuring plenty of melancholic shots of the [Guardians of the Galaxy] facing the music". The trailer accumulated 134.1Â million views across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, and was the most-watched Super Bowl trailer in post-game day traffic according to RelishMix. It was also the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that a Super Bowl trailer exceeded 100Â million views on social media in a 24-hour period.
Disney and Marvel Music partnered with Spotify in May 2023, to promote the film. As part of the promotion, a playlist, titled the "K-GOTG Radio Experience", was created on the platform. Marvel Studios also promoted the film with General Mills limited-edition cereals and snacks, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Cookie Crisp, Lucky Charms, Trix, Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Go-Gurt. Microsoft also partnered with Marvel Studios to promote the film with a limited-edition Zune MP3 player; a single non-functional model would be created using 3D printing and launched inside the International Space Station.
Theatrical
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had an early screening at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on April 19, 2023. The film premiered at Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023, and its North American premiere was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on April 27. The film was released in several countries including the United Kingdom on May 3, 2023, and in the United States on May 5. It was originally set for release on May 1, 2020, before it was dropped from that date. It is part of Phase Five of the MCU. The film was released in 3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, and ScreenX. Disney released over 600 unique versions of the film to theaters, including a version with variable aspect ratios. Forty-five minutes of the film was presented in the flat 1.85:1 aspect ratio, while the rest of the film is in the 2.39:1 letterboxed aspect ratio.
Box office
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 grossed $359Â million in the United States and Canada, and $486.6Â million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $845.6Â million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $124Â million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.
In the US and Canada, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was projected to gross around $110Â million from 4,450 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $48.2Â million on its first day, including $17.5Â million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut with $118.4Â million, topping the box office. In its second weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 retained the top spot at the box office with $62Â million, a 48% decline from its opening weekend and the best second-weekend hold of any sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a notably smaller second-weekend decline than those of the franchise's recent releases, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%), Thor: Love and Thunder (68%), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%). The film made $32Â million in its third weekend, being dethroned by Fast X.
Outside the US and Canada, the film grossed $168.1Â million in its opening weekend. In its second weekend, the film grossed $92Â million for a drop of 40% from its opening weekend. As of May 27, 2023, the highest grossing territories were China ($77.4Â million), the United Kingdom ($36Â million), Mexico ($30.8Â million), South Korea ($26.7Â million), and France ($24.3Â million).
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 82% based on 404 reviews with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A galactic group hug that might squeeze a little too tight on the heartstrings, the final Guardians of the Galaxy is a loving last hurrah for the MCU's most ragtag family." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 63 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same as the previous two Guardians films, while PostTrak reported that moviegoers gave the film a 91% positive score, with 79% saying they would definitely recommend it.
The Independent found it was "the best Marvel movie in years" as did Vox and the CBC. In mixed reviews, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian and Nicholas Barber of the BBC agreed the film was overlong, Barber opining that "the film's saving grace is that, just as Gunn has been allowed to unleash his gonzo imagination, he has also been allowed to pour out his emotions." Wendy Ide of The Observer lauded the films for its emotional weight and deemed it a satisfying conclusion, stating that "What elevates Vol 3 (supposedly the final film in the GOTG series) is the way it keeps that personality, nodding to the irreverent swagger that is a crucial component of the Guardians USP while delivering a series of devastating emotional sucker punches along the way." Matt Singer from ScreenCrush praised the film for concluding Rocket's arc story stating that "a character tells Rocket that the events unfolding onscreen have been his story all along â and with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it does feel like Marvel has spent $200Â million on a movie about a melancholy space raccoon looking for love and acceptance."
Writing for The Verge, Charles Pulliam-Moore praised the film's action sequences and storyline and commented that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tells the action-packed, flashback-filled story of how Rocket Raccoon's (Bradley Cooper) life being gravely endangered gives the rest of the Guardians a reason to come together and really start working on some of the emotional issues that've been haunting them since Endgame." The Hindustan Times praised Gunn's direction and writing, commenting that "As James Gunn concludes his journey with these characters he clearly cares so deeply about, you can't help but reflect on your own. Walking out, I had my own little flashback montage playing in my head of all the adventures we've been on and foes we've faced with this lovable group of galaxy-saving idiots." Nathan Durr of CBS News praised the film's soundtrack and stated that "There's no exception here regarding the soundtrack as Gunn and company cleverly implement songs that add weight to the complexities and emotions of the characters."
A negative review from NPR criticized the approach of cruelty to animals and animal testing in the film, while The New York Times called it a "dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film (that) may only be for completionist fans", and the Chicago Tribune, "the most empty, brutal MCU movie yet". Conversely, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) declared the film to be "the best animal rights film of the year", and gave Gunn a "Not a Number Award" for his depiction of animal testing.
