With a little over a month to go until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is released in theaters, Marvel has stepped up its marketing game, not just domestically but also internationally. Guardians of the Galaxy is already one of the MCU's strangest properties to date, and the studio is really embracing the weirdness this time around.

While promoting the first movie, executives' biggest worry may have been just how they would make the film appeal to the masses. But ever since Guardians of the Galaxy became one of Marvel’s most successful movies, it's been all about moving forward on everything that worked last time. Vol. 1 was best known by fans and critics for its craziness, humor and heart, and the marketing team has been running full speed ahead with all three attributes in recent posters for the sequel.

A new Chinese poster for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, revealed today on Twitter by director James Gunn, seems to combine everything fans love about the franchise. It looks crazy with so much going on in just one image: The main cast is all there, along with old foes and newcomers like Mantis and Ayesha (the golden High Priestess), as well as monsters, ships and people falling from the sky. Baby Groot adorably grounds the whole piece as he stands on the Guardians of the Galaxy logo.

This new poster is important because it's just been announced that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be released in China on the same day as the United States. Even though the film does come out a week and half before that in some countries, an early and  simultaneous China release is a big coup for Marvel. After the U.S. and Canada, China is the largest worldwide market by box office, thereby cementing a huge worldwide opening weekend for the film. A previous report from BoxOfficePro has estimated a 3-day opening in the $160 million range. That's according to tracking, and last time around the series exceeded expectations.

The Chinese poster is also very similar to one that Gunn previously revealed on his Twitter back in February. This new one has changed the placement of a few of the ships and characters, instead preferring to give the film's stars relatively equal positioning. Peter Quill's starship, the Milano, is also featured right above Yondu and Nebula. Rather than the zaniness and 70s vibe of previous posters, here they've gone for a more otherworldly theme. In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy is many things, and the marketing possibilities are endless. Byut come May, it'll most likely be the first blockbuster hit of the summer.

Source: ComicBookMovie

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