Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel has been having a tough stretch of luck lately, especially with how the end of Phase 4 and the beginning of Phase 5 were hitting with fans and critics. Thankfully, James Gunn reminded everyone again what makes the MCU so unique. He capped off his superhero run under the Marvel banner with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Crank up the volume, the Guardians are coming home ❤️ #GotGVol3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is streaming on @disneyplus August 2. pic.twitter.com/blbPreJrTi
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 17, 2023
Related: The Next ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Doesn’t Need James Gunn
Though the film had initially not been on the streaming release radar, it was surprisingly announced by Disney+ that the film would arrive on August 2. While that might not seem like that odd of a coincidence, it appears that Marvel is doing what it can to allow the latest sequel to carry the company out of mediocrity for a second time.
Initially, everyone in the entertainment world had heard that Marvel did not intend to release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on streaming so quickly. However, the industry strikes and poor performances of recent MCU ventures have forced Marvel’s hand.
Marvel is one of the biggest companies that industry strikes have hit, as the company had to all but rework its entire release schedule when the WGA (Writers Guild of America) went on strike on May 2. On June 13, I reported the massive changes Disney made to its release schedule, including ten upcoming films being shuffled.
Among them were Fantastic Four, Blade, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel saw the proverbial writing on the wall and had no choice but to find new release dates for all its upcoming films.
That was the first step that would eventually lead to a complete Hollywood shutdown.
Starting last Friday, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) officially began its strike, effectively halting production on anything being produced in the United States. Deadpool 3 was one of the first MCU releases to be shut down, as Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are SAG members.
This will likely affect the already reshuffled Deadpool 3, pushed up from November 2024 to May 2024. We imagine the original date might be more accurate now.
Considering Marvel, like most other companies, will not have much content to be released next year—they have resorted to putting a rush on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
The film is quite fantastic, and it’s one of the only recent Marvel films beloved by critics and audiences alike. The film grossed $843 million at the worldwide box office and has an 82% critic approval rating and 94% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
I want to compare those numbers to the other recently released Marvel ventures.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania only made $476 million, with a critic rating of 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience approval rating of 82% is much higher, but Marvel films are certainly not generally rated that low.
Thor: Love and Thunder made $760 million, which is nothing to scoff at, but its 63% critic approval rating and 77% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes left much to be desired.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made $859 million and has an 84% critic approval rating and 94% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, having two films essentially bomb in either box office gains or with reviews was enough to warrant a response from Marvel brass Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The overall message was that content for the MCU would be looked at more closely, and “quantity over quality” would be addressed more stringently. Iger doubled down on those comments recently, stating that Disney would be slowly way down on its Star Wars and Marvel content, which is not a good sign.
Now let’s return to more recent events. Disney and Marvel will rely on their shows without any films being on track to be released on time. Secret Invasion has 60% critic approval and 69% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes. This is not a good look for Marvel, especially after She-Hulk bombed with audiences.
Marvel needs a win, and what better way to win than to bring back everyone’s favorite ragtag superhero team?
Instead of allowing the company’s reputation to seem like a downward spiral, Marvel has fast-tracked Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to hit Disney+ a mere 89 days after it was released in theaters.
The window on theatrical ends to streaming debuts has been shrinking, but Marvel isn’t generally one to do this as quickly. I think the company is out of options right now, and considering Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is arguably the best film that the MCU has produced in recent memory, it only makes sense to put a rush on it appearing on Disney+.
I love Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it is a perfect reminder of the magic that superhero films can hold. Though James Gunn’s style and direction have always seemed a bit removed from the MCU, Marvel can be happy they have this film to remind everyone that the studio can still make beloved full features.
Related: Owen Wilson Confirms Detail About ‘Loki’ Season 2
I can’t wait to see it again on streaming, and it’s purely evident that Disney and Marvel are banking on the film being able to hoist the MCU out of mediocrity for the second time. Plus, without Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, everyone has to wait until October to see Loki Season 2. Marvel might not want everyone to grow sour on its productions, including catching the dreaded “superhero fatigue.”
Do you think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is releasing too quickly on Disney+? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!