'Guardians of the Galaxy’ rockets to No. 1 in U.S.

LOS ANGELES - “Guardians of the Galaxy” blasted past expectations at the weekend box office.

Marvel Studios’ cosmic romp starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista as members of an intergalactic band of rebels earned $94 million in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Ahead of its Friday debut, box office analysts initially projected that the comic book adaptation would earn between $60 million and $75 million in North America.

The out-of-this-world launch gives “Guardians” the biggest opening for a film released in the traditionally low-key month of August, a record previously held by the $69.2 million debut of 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum.” It also makes “Guardians” the third largest opening of 2014, coming behind the $95 million inauguration of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in April and the $100 million launch of “Transformers: Age of Extinction” in June.

“Guardians,” which also features Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing the computer-generated characters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, was originally considered a risky proposition for Marvel and “Guardians” distributor Walt Disney Co. because it features more obscure characters from the Marvel universe and is set almost entirely in outer space. Despite any apprehension, Marvel was betting on “Guardians,” written and directed by “Slither” filmmaker James Gunn, to be a blockbuster. The studio announced at Comic-Con in San Diego last month that a sequel is already set for release in 2017.

In a distant second place at the North American box office, “Lucy,” starring Scarlett Johansson as a woman with mind-bending powers, nabbed $18.3 million in its second weekend, bringing the Universal Pictures release’s domestic total to $80 million.

AP