Credit: Inside The MagicFollowing the release of James Gunn’s final collaboration with Marvel Studios for the foreseeable future, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), the director found himself at a loss for words after a fan revealed how many times they’d seen the film in theaters, in what can only be some seriously high praise.
Vol. 3 landed in theaters on May 5, and has since been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from both fans and critics. The threequel currently sits at a 95% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many describing the film as Gunn’s Swan Song of a goodbye to the MCU ahead of his transition to DC Studios.
The film sees Chris Pratt reprising his role as Peter Quill/Star Lord, along with Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, Karen Killain as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis, and Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, who voice Rocket Raccoon and Groot, respectively.
Watch the official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below:
With a deeply emotional story reminiscent of the earlier phases of the MCU, Vol. 3 has garnered widespread acclaim thanks to the performances of its main cast, making it the perfect send-off to Gunn’s iteration of the Guardians.
And based purely on its Multiverse-defying box office numbers alone, Vol. 3 might end up being one of the superhero studio’s most successful films to date. But critics’ rave reviews aside, its triumph might also be thanks to fans who are rewatching the film—specifically, one in particular, who recently admitted to seeing Vol. 3 a whopping 12 times in theaters.
On Twitter, Gunn was shocked by a Marvel fan who tagged the director in a post saying they had seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 an astounding 12 times since its premiere earlier this month.
The fan wrote that “each time it gets better,” and even went as far to describe the film as “perfect,” to which a baffled Gunn responded with, “12 times??!” Check out their hilarious interaction below:
12 times??!
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 14, 2023
Although 12 times is quite a high number for multiple viewings of a movie that has only been in for two weeks, the emotional complexity and heartfelt nostalgia of Vol. 3 undoubtedly makes multiple trips to the theater more than acceptable. Plus, getting the full cinematic experience, especially for an MCU movie like this, beats watching at home—whenever Vol. 3 lands on Disney+.
As the fan on Twitter emphasized, Rocket’s dark backstory seems to be a highlight of the film for many. This tonal shift for the MCU hints at a more mature future of storytelling for the franchise, which appears to be pulling in many adult viewers. The numbers don’t lie, after all—Vol. 3 just surpassed $500 million at the worldwide box office.
On the heels of the disappointing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Vol. 3 has managed to bring back the energy missing from the most recent MCU releases, especially throughout the divisive Phase Four.
Though Gunn can’t be at the helm of every Marvel project, Vol. 3 is hopefully a sign of good things to come in the future of the MCU. His final Guardians installment was the perfect last adventure for the titular team of heroes that fans have known and loved for almost a decade, so really, audiences should feel justified watching the movie in theaters as many times as they want—though 12 might be a bit excessive.
Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters yet? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.