New Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy has not yet premiered in cinemas but is already breaking records. Some people at the comic book company might have wondered about the wisdom of making a movie out of a comic book series that is somewhat more obscure than the likes of Captain America or Thor, but the latest news should have them breathing a sigh of relief.
Guardians of the Galaxy, which is directed by James Gunn, is expected to be the biggest pre-seller in the history of ticket service Fandango. Sales are far ahead of those for Matt Damon’s The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007, which was the previous record holder, and the movie is on track to be 2014’s number one pre-seller that is not a sequel, beating The Lego Movie.
Even with the weight of Marvel behind it, some may have wondered about the movie’s chances of being a big hit given that the guardians are pretty much unknown outside hardcore comic circles, leading man Chris Pratt is largely an unknown, and the main characters include a heroic tree and a talking raccoon. According to Fandango, however, which has surveyed over 1,000 people who bought tickets for the film, these factors do not seem to be a hindrance.
58% of the surveyed ticket buyers were unfamiliar with the series before. 95% were attracted by the off-the-wall humor glimpsed in the trailers, 73% found the retro soundtrack appealing, and 67% were looking forward to the Rocket Raccoon character the most. Marvel is likely to be very happy with these results and a sequel has already been confirmed.
