'Guardians of the Galaxy' Breaks August Box Office Record

Get a load of these record breakers

Were you one of the millions of movie-goers who saw Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" this weekend? We're betting you were. The film, which opened in 4,080 theaters, revived this summer's slump and brought in an August record-breaking $94 million at the box office. However, it's not at the top of the list for this summer, it's actually the third biggest opening of 2014. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" brought in a little more coin at $100 million and another Marvel flick, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" edged out the Guardians with $95 million.

The James Gunn-directed film was made for $170 million and is certain to recoup that amount thanks to the immensely positive buzz this film is receiving. For example, according to Entertainment Weekly, "Guardians scored a great 92 percent from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- from EW‘s Chris Nashawaty, who called it 'a giddily subversive space opera that runs on self-aware smart-assert.'" Our own Aaron Sagers attended a screening of the film and even before it was released, he predicted that "Marvel has a new shiny gem to add to its growing cinematic gauntlet."

Marvel is definitely on a roll and EW points out that Guardians is "Marvel’s ninth consecutive No. 1 movie, a streak that reaches back to 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance' (2012), which debuted at No. 3." They're on such a roll that a sequel to Guardians was announced at San Diego Comic-Con a week before the film even opened. According to James Gunn, they're hoping for a July 28, 2017 release date. 2017! Too far away!

Courtesy Universal

We want to know your thoughts on this film and why you loved it (or hated it...you're in the minority) so much. Who would have thought that Andy Dwyer from NBC's "Parks and Recreation" could be such an effective and kick ass "superhero?" Chris Pratt will also be starring in next summer's (June 12) "Jurassic World." Not too shabby.

Here's this weekend's box office break-down:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – $94 million (new)
2. Lucy – $18.3 million ($79.6 million total)
3. Get On Up – $14 million (new)
4. Hercules — $10.7 million ($52.3 million total)
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes– $8.7 million Friday ($189.3 million total)

-Larissa Mrykalo