This week, the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe makes way for it’s newest entry in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Drawing in an astounding box office total of over $11 million on it’s Thursday début, it’s clear that this is going to be yet another in a long line of smash hits for Marvel dating back more than five years now. But the success of GotG will be seen in a lot more than simply the millions that it makes and the records that it breaks. It may not seem like it now but the effects of this success are going to affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years to come.
Not to say that Marvel haven’t been taking risks with their shared universe of films (multiple film series with a shared continuity was, in itself, initially a huge risk), but, up until this point the focus has been on some of the biggest and most recognisable names in their comic book library. Characters like Captain America and Iron Man are recognisable to almost everyone, whether or not they are comic book readers, so they have always, up until this point, had some level of brand recognition as a starting point when going into their movies. That was not the case with Guardians of the Galaxy. A niche concept even to those familiar to comics, Guardians of the Galaxy is an idea that on paper sounds strange at best and like a sci-fi geek’s fever dream at worst. A rag-tag team of alien misfits, including a talking racoon and sentient tree, travel the universe unravelling intergalactic conspiracies. It’s an idea so out there that if it had been pitched as the start to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, might have caused its premature destruction, but now instead stands to pave the way forward for years of future films.
The big three of the MCU; Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, started off strong and continued to be box office hits with every subsequent sequel. But there’s only so far you can take the universe on their shoulders alone and it seems that Marvel realised this. The time had come to branch out of their comfort zone, and branch out they did. A team of generally unknown characters in a brand new setting with little to no connection to the existing films is about as far outside of the current formula as they could have gotten, so why take the risk? The answer to that, I believe, is a simple one; if they can make this work, they can make anything work. And it looks to still be working. Marvel has proven that they can drum up interest and create a hit out of some of their least known characters, so with seemingly every film they touch turning into a success they are no longer restricted by having to stick with safe bets and have the freedom to take these films in almost any direction they please without the fear of low audience turnout.
It’s been clear for a while, even before it’s excellent box office opening, that GotG was set to be a hit, and the effects of its inevitable success have already begun to manifest themselves in the future of the MCU. We’ve already had confirmation of them continuing to branch out with the announcement of the Doctor Strange movie, a character firmly rooted in magic and parallel dimensions, something that has only been lightly touched upon so far within the Thor series. There are also rumours floating around that the first female centric Marvel film is soon to be announced with fan favourite Ms Marvel, after a possible appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. With a release schedule already stretching as far as 2019 (with plans rumoured to go as far as 2028), and the revelation from Marvel president Kevin Feige that we should expect to start seeing one new film each year alongside the continued sequels, it’s clear that Marvel have big plans for the future. And if Guardians of the Galaxy was their way of testing themselves, it looks like they’ve passed with flying colours.
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I had the option to see either Hercules or GotG on my last night in London earlier this week. I chose Hercules and have regretted it ever since, especially now that I’m in Lagos where the cinemas are gross. You guys should review that. It’s atrocious! I left 20minutes into the film.
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