'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Wins The Box Office

It already broke a record for biggest Thursday box office of the year, and now Guardians of the Galaxy has charted newer territory; with an opening weekend bringing in $94 million, Guardians of the Galaxy broke the record for the largest August debut. It's also apparently Marvel's 9th consecutive No. 1 movie, which is pretty impressive.

Why is this comedy/action movie, starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper, performing so well? Well besides that cast, my guess is that while it has the budget and reputation of a Marvel movie, it's also got more of a comedic element and appears pretty different. It stands apart in a sea of superhero movies, and moviegoers who might not have chosen to see the second Captain America might be intrigued by this. It's received very positive reviews from critics, which also sets it apart from many of Marvel's recent films.

While Scarlett Johansson's neurological thriller Lucy came in second, the newly released James Brown biopic Get On Up came in third. The biopic has received mostly positive reviews, though perhaps not as glowing as an Oscar-bait film might hope for. Critics have called it a little too safe, and perhaps not all that true to life. Dwayne Johnson's Hercules and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes came in fourth and fifth, respectively.