Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is opening in several international markets this week and is expected to make a pretty penny at the foreign box office. The 2014 original was a surprise hit when it was released, earning $773.3 million worldwide, the fifth-highest total in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, expectations are quite high for the sequel, which is placed in the studio's traditional early May window to kick off the summer movie season. Early reviews haven't been quite as enthusiastic as some fans may have hoped, but the film still looks like another winner for the long-running franchise in more ways than one.

When Vol. 2 opens domestically in about a week (as of this writing), it should post a haul in excess of $160 million during its first three days. But as is the case with most Hollywood tentpoles, it will be hoping for a strong global showing in order to reach the figures Marvel truly wants for it. The good news for Star-Lord and friends is that their status as international rock stars hasn't changed, and the movie should do quite well as it begins its rollout.

According to Deadline, Guardians 2 is poised to bring in anywhere between $85 - $100 million from 37 international markets this week. That would be at the high-end of similar Marvel offshore openings, possibly topping Thor: The Dark World ($85.4 million) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($67.6 million). The $141.4 million posted by Iron Man 3, however, seems to be out of range for the crew of the Milano. Nevertheless, Vol. 2 is unsurprisingly going to be another MCU smash, continuing their prolonged commercial hot streak that's spanned nearly 10 years. Given how anticipated the project is, it would have been shocking if it was a disappointment.

As stated above, Marvel has found tremendous success in this spot on the release schedule, seeing several installments gross over $1 billion worldwide. It will be interesting to see if Guardians 2 can cross that milestone, but it certainly has a good chance. The sequel is tracking higher than its predecessor, which was a massive hit. Coming out during the outset of summer means Vol. 2 faces higher-profile competition in the form of works like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Alien: Covenant, but Guardians 2 should still have strong legs throughout its run. Audiences are excited to see it, and the generally positive reception will boost its prospects. Even if the movie can't cross that plateau, it will still do very well, setting the stage for more great things in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Regardless of what happens, there's no denying this has been quite an arc for the property, which was once so obscure, even some die-hard Marvel Comics readers didn't know who all the characters were. Now, it's an integral part of one of the largest film franchises of all-time, with the crew returning in Avengers: Infinity War and setting up the post-Phase 3 era of the MCU. What was a risk that could have fallen on its face became immensely popular thanks to humor, heart, and catchy retro pop songs. The Marvel brand is arguably stronger than ever.

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Source: Deadline