Marvel Studios

While it remains to be seen what the final Guardians of the Galaxy film does in theaters over the weekend, where it goes head-to-head with another Chris Pratt-fronted film — the more than billion dollar-grossing Super Mario Bros. Movie — it’s off to a good start. 

The Wrap says Guardians already made $17.5 million from Thursday night previews. The movie also screened in certain IMAX theaters Wednesday evening, where it capped a special “Trilogy” showcase of writer-director James Gunn‘s space opera trilogy.

So far, the film has an 80% Critics Score and a 96% Audience Score from aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. That’s certainly good news for Marvel Studios, whose last film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, only managed a 47% from Critics and an 80% Audience Score, and which tumbled massively during its second week in theaters. 

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