One of the biggest downsides of shortened theatrical windows becoming the industry norm is that box office numbers aren’t going to return to pre-pandemic strength if studios don’t give movies the time to haul in as much cash as possible before being made available on-demand. There’s a lot of people happy to sit on their hands until the VOD and streaming debut arrives, but James Gunn won’t sanction such a timeline for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Even though it’s only been a little over a month since the Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy-capper debuted on the big screen – where it’s gone on to sail past $800 million in ticket sales – folks are beginning to get impatient that they can’t yet watch it from the comfort of their own homes.
Responding to a Twitter user who demanded to know when that day would come, Gunn made a salient point that reflects the sentiments of almost every filmmaker in Hollywood.
Fast X roared out of the blocks after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and yet Vin Diesel’s latest sleeveless outing as Dominic Toretto can be viewed on-demand already. Marvel has kept its cards close to the chest when it comes to announcing a Disney Plus debut, but as we’ve recently seen with James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, the Mouse House is happy to play the long game as long as the profits are still coming in.
Having out-grossed the opener, there’s clearly at least a little gas in Vol. 3‘s commercial tank, so don’t hold your breath.