Even though Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t release until this weekend, Marvel is confident enough in overwhelmingly positive early reviews and hype that it’s already greenlighting a sequel.
Director James Gunn and Chris Pratt made a video message at Comic-Con over the weekend, telling fans that a follow-up to the superhero franchise’s debut movie would be hitting theaters in July 2017. It may face some intense competition though—2017 is stacking up to be a crowded field at the box office. The year will see new releases in The Fantastic Four, Pirates of the Caribbean, LEGO Movie, Despicable Me, Star Wars, Justice League, Avatar and Transformers franchises.
All of the films also have the unenviable task of going up against Croods 2—an animated film that features the voice of box office competition-crusher Nic Cage …
