document_title: List of most-viewed YouTube videos

question_text: what is the third most viewed video on youtube

text: List of most-viewed YouTube videos

text: Top videos[edit]

text: The following table lists the top 100 most viewed videos on YouTube, with each total rounded to the nearest 10 million views, as well as the creator and date of publication to YouTube.[A]

text:
Rank
Video name
Uploader / artist
Views (billions)
Upload date
Notes

1.
"Despacito"[8]
Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee
4.98
January 12, 2017
[B]

2.
"See You Again"[13]
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
3.48
April 6, 2015
[C]

3.
"Shape of You"[20]
Ed Sheeran
3.40
January 30, 2017
[D]

4.
"Gangnam Style"[21]
Psy
3.13
July 15, 2012
[E]

5.
"Uptown Funk"[26]
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
3.00
November 19, 2014

6.
"Masha and the Bear: Recipe for Disaster"[27]
Get Movies
2.93
January 31, 2012
[F]

7.
"Sorry"[28]
Justin Bieber
2.91
October 22, 2015

8.
"Sugar"[29]
Maroon 5
2.54
January 14, 2015

9.
"Shake It Off"[30]
Taylor Swift
2.53
August 18, 2014

10.
"Bailando"[31]
Enrique Iglesias featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona
2.49
April 11, 2014

11.
"Roar"[32]
Katy Perry
2.46
September 5, 2013

12.
"Lean On"[33]
Major Lazer and DJ Snake featuring MØ
2.29
March 22, 2015

13.
"Blank Space"[34]
Taylor Swift
2.27
November 10, 2014

14.
"Hello"[35]
Adele
2.27
October 22, 2015
[G]

15.
"Dark Horse"[37]
Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
2.27
February 20, 2014

16.
"Thinking Out Loud"[38]
Ed Sheeran
2.21
October 7, 2014

17.
"All About That Bass"[39]
Meghan Trainor
2.18
June 11, 2014

18.
"Counting Stars"[40]
OneRepublic
2.17
May 31, 2013

19.
"Chantaje"[41]
Shakira featuring Maluma
2.13
November 18, 2016

20.
"Wheels on the Bus"[42]
LittleBabyBum
2.09
August 9, 2014

21.
"Closer (Lyric video)"[43]
The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
2.06
July 29, 2016
[H]

22.
"This Is What You Came For"[44]
Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna
1.96
June 16, 2016

23.
"What Do You Mean?"[45]
Justin Bieber
1.88
August 30, 2015

24.
"Baby"[46]
Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
1.85
February 19, 2010
[I]

25.
"Let Her Go"[49]
Passenger
1.82
July 25, 2012

26.
"Chandelier"[50]
Sia
1.82
May 6, 2014

27.
"Work from Home"[51]
Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign
1.81
February 26, 2016

28.
"Rockabye"[52]
Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul & Anne-Marie
1.80
October 21, 2016

29.
"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"[53]
Shakira featuring Freshlyground
1.77
June 4, 2010

30.
"We Don't Talk Anymore"[54]
Charlie Puth featuring Selena Gomez
1.73
August 2, 2016

31.
"Love Me Like You Do"[55]
Ellie Goulding
1.71
January 22, 2015

32.
"Mi Gente"[56]
J Balvin and Willy William
1.71
June 29, 2017

33.
"Faded"[57]
Alan Walker
1.62
December 3, 2015

34.
"Worth It"[58]
Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink
1.54
March 28, 2015

35.
"Treat You Better"[59]
Shawn Mendes
1.54
July 12, 2016

36.
"Love the Way You Lie"[60]
Eminem featuring Rihanna
1.52
August 5, 2010

37.
"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)"[61]
Silentó
1.49
June 25, 2015

38.
"Rude"[62]
Magic!
1.47
December 5, 2013

39.
"Ay Vamos"[63]
J Balvin
1.46
August 29, 2014

40.
"Wake Me Up"[64]
Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc
1.46
July 29, 2013

41.
"Party Rock Anthem"[65]
LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
1.44
March 8, 2011

42.
"Let It Go"[66]
Idina Menzel
1.43
January 30, 2014
[J]

43.
"Johny Johny Yes Papa"[68]
ChuChu TV
1.42
November 14, 2014
[K]

44.
"Vente Pa' Ca"[70]
Ricky Martin featuring Maluma
1.38
September 22, 2016

45.
"Hotline Bling"[71]
Drake
1.37
October 26, 2015

46.
"The Lazy Song"[72]
Bruno Mars
1.34
April 15, 2011

47.
"Propuesta Indecente"[73]
Romeo Santos
1.34
September 9, 2013

48.
"Love Yourself"[74]
Justin Bieber
1.32
November 14, 2015

49.
"Starboy"[75]
The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
1.32
September 28, 2016

50.
"Rolling in the Deep"[76]
Adele
1.30
November 30, 2010

51.
"Felices los 4"[77]
Maluma
1.30
April 21, 2017

52.
"Stressed Out"[78]
Twenty One Pilots
1.30
April 27, 2015

53.
"All of Me"[79]
John Legend
1.29
October 2, 2013

54.
"Hasta el Amanecer"[80]
Nicky Jam
1.29
January 14, 2016

55.
"Side to Side"[81]
Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
1.29
August 29, 2016

56.
"The Gummy Bear Song"[82]
icanrockyourworld
1.28
October 9, 2007
[L]

57.
"Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)"[83]
CNCO
1.27
October 7, 2016

58.
"Criminal"[84]
Natti Natasha featuring Ozuna
1.23
August 18, 2017

59.
"Burn"[85]
Ellie Goulding
1.22
July 7, 2013

60.
"That's What I Like"[86]
Bruno Mars
1.21
March 2, 2017

61.
"Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge"[87]
Ryan ToysReview
1.21
April 13, 2016

62.
"How Deep Is Your Love"[88]
Calvin Harris featuring Disciples
1.20
August 6, 2015

63.
"Summer"[89]
Calvin Harris
1.20
April 6, 2014

64.
"Hey Mama"[90]
David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack
1.20
May 19, 2015

65.
"On the Floor"[91]
Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
1.19
March 3, 2011

66.
"The Hills"[92]
The Weeknd
1.19
May 27, 2015

67.
"Bad Blood"[93]
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
1.19
May 17, 2015

68.
"Picky"[94]
Joey Montana
1.18
June 29, 2015

69.
"Andas en Mi Cabeza"[95]
Chino & Nacho featuring Daddy Yankee
1.18
April 20, 2016

70.
"Shaky Shaky"[96]
Daddy Yankee
1.18
July 14, 2016

71.
"Thrift Shop"[97]
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
1.17
August 29, 2012

72.
"Gentleman"[98]
Psy
1.16
April 13, 2013

73.
"Diamonds"[99]
Rihanna
1.15
November 8, 2012

74.
"Baby Shark Dance"[100]
Pinkfong! Kids' Songs & Stories
1.14
June 17, 2016

75.
"Animals"[101]
Martin Garrix
1.14
June 17, 2013

76.
"Bang Bang"[102]
Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
1.13
August 25, 2014

77.
"El Perdón"[103]
Nicky Jam featuring Enrique Iglesias
1.12
March 23, 2015

78.
"La Bicicleta"[104]
Carlos Vives and Shakira
1.12
July 8, 2016

79.
"El Pollito Pio"[105]
pulcinopiotv
1.11
November 29, 2012

80.
"Échame la Culpa"[106]
Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato
1.11
November 16, 2017

81.
"New Rules"[107]
Dua Lipa
1.11
July 7, 2017

82.
"El Perdedor"[108]
Maluma
1.11
April 22, 2016

83.
"Axel F"[109]
Crazy Frog
1.10
June 16, 2009

84.
"Mayores"[110]
Becky G and Bad Bunny
1.10
July 13, 2017

85.
"Problem"[111]
Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
1.09
May 30, 2014

86.
"Just the Way You Are"[112]
Bruno Mars
1.09
September 8, 2010

87.
"Firework"[113]
Katy Perry
1.09
October 28, 2010

88.
"Me Rehúso"[114]
Danny Ocean
1.08
September 18, 2016

89.
"El Amante"[115]
Nicky Jam
1.08
January 15, 2017

90.
"Ahora Dice"[116]
Chris Jeday featuring J Balvin, Ozuna and Arcángel
1.07
March 19, 2017

91.
"Not Afraid"[117]
Eminem
1.07
June 4, 2010

92.
"Masha and the Bear: Bon appétit!"[118]
Get Movies
1.07
September 21, 2012

93.
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"[119]
Katy Perry
1.06
June 12, 2011

94.
"Swalla"[120]
Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla Sign
1.06
March 17, 2017

95.
"Someone like You"[121]
Adele
1.05
September 29, 2011

96.
"Somebody That I Used to Know"[122]
Gotye featuring Kimbra
1.05
July 5, 2011

97.
"La Mordidita"[123]
Ricky Martin featuring Yotuel
1.04
June 12, 2015

98.
"Something Just like This (Lyric)"[124]
The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
1.04
February 22, 2017

99.
"Call Me Maybe"[125]
Carly Rae Jepsen
1.04
March 1, 2012

100.
"La Gozadera"[126]
Gente de Zona featuring Marc Anthony
1.04
June 5, 2015

As of March 29, 2018

text: By year of release[edit]

text: The following table lists the current top 5 most viewed YouTube videos uploaded in each year, with each total rounded to the nearest ten million views, as well as the uploader and date of publication to YouTube.[M]

text: As of March 2018, Katy Perry has the most appearances on the list with five, while Bruno Mars has four and Taylor Swift and Adele have three. Only Linkin Park (2007), Gummibär/icanrockyourworld (2007) and Taylor Swift (2014) have two videos in the top 5 of a single year, with both the English and French versions of Gummibär's The Gummy Bear Song being in the top five videos of 2007. Only three videos on the list are not music videos.

text:
Year
Video name
Uploader
Views (billions)
Upload date
Notes

2005
"Life Goes On"[127]
fhearnoiz
0.10
September 22, 2005

"guitar"[128]
guitar90
0.09
December 20, 2005

"Hurt"[129]
beachbuggy
0.08
December 12, 2005

"Tarzan Boy"[130]
nailofgilead
0.07
November 2, 2005

"Bohemian Rhapsody"[131]
Frozentoast
0.06
September 18, 2005

Combined views (2005)
0.40
[132][133]

2006
[N]
"Galinha Pintadinha - videoclip infantil animado"[134]
Galinha Pintadinha
0.49
December 28, 2006

"Ella y Yo"[135]
JosephIngma
0.33
April 27, 2006

"Evolution of Dance"[136]
Judson Laipply
0.30
April 6, 2006
[O]

"I Write Sins Not Tragedies"[137]
Fueled By Ramen
0.23
July 18, 2006

"If you are happy"[138]
Alicia Kids!
0.18
September 5, 2006

Combined views (2006)
1.53
[139][140]

2007
[P]
"The Gummy Bear Song"[82]
icanrockyourworld
1.27
October 9, 2007

"Charlie Bit My Finger"[141]
HDCYT
0.86
May 22, 2007
[Q]

"Numb"[142]
Linkin Park
0.81
March 4, 2007

"Je m'appelle Funny Bear"[143]
icanrockyourworld
0.35
October 15, 2007

"What I've Done"[144]
Linkin Park
0.35
April 3, 2007

Combined views (2007)
3.64
[139][140]

2008
"Hot n Cold"[145]
KatyPerryVEVO
0.78
October 13, 2008

"Pintinho Amarelinho - DVD Galena Pintadinha"[146]
Galinha Pintadinha
0.53
September 15, 2008

"Bohemian Rhapsody"[147]
Queen Official
0.52
August 1, 2008

"Viva la Vida"[148]
Coldplay Official
0.48
August 4, 2008

"Colgando en tus manos"[149]
Carlos Baute
0.38
October 29, 2008

Combined views (2008)
2.69
[139]

2009
"Axel F"[109]
CrazyFrogVEVO
1.10
June 16, 2009

"November Rain"[150]
GunsNRosesVEVO
0.97
December 24, 2009

"Bad Romance"[151]
LadyGagaVEVO
0.91
November 23, 2009
[R]

"You Belong with Me"[152]
TaylorSwiftVEVO
0.82
June 16, 2009

"Zombie"[153]
TheCranberriesVEVO
0.70
June 16, 2009

Combined views (2009)
4.50
[139]

2010
"Baby"[46]
JustinBieberVEVO
1.85
February 19, 2010
[S]

"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"[53]
shakiraVEVO
1.77
June 4, 2010

"Love the Way You Lie"[60]
EminemVEVO
1.51
August 5, 2010

"Rolling in the Deep"[76]
AdeleVEVO
1.30
November 30, 2010

"Just the Way You Are"[112]
Bruno Mars
1.09
September 8, 2010

Combined views (2010)
7.52
[139]

2011
"Party Rock Anthem"[65]
LMFAOVEVO
1.44
March 8, 2011

"The Lazy Song"[72]
Bruno Mars
1.34
April 15, 2011

"On the Floor"[91]
JenniferLopezVEVO
1.19
March 3, 2011

"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"[119]
KatyPerryVEVO
1.06
June 12, 2011

"Someone like You"[121]
AdeleVEVO
1.05
September 29, 2011

Combined views (2011)
6.08
[139]

2012
"Gangnam Style"[21]
officialpsy
3.13
July 15, 2012
[T]

"Маша и Медведь - Маша плюс каша"[27]
Get Movies
2.93
January 31, 2012

"Let Her Go"[49]
Passenger
1.82
July 25, 2012

"Thrift Shop"[97]
Macklemore LCC
1.17
August 29, 2012

"Diamonds"[99]
RihannaVEVO
1.15
November 8, 2012

Combined views (2012)
10.20
[139]

2013
"Roar"[32]
KatyPerryVEVO
2.46
September 5, 2013

"Counting Stars"[40]
OneRepublicVEVO
2.17
May 31, 2013

"Rude"[62]
ournameismagicVEVO
1.47
December 5, 2013

"Wake Me Up"[64]
AviciiVEVO
1.46
July 29, 2013

"Propuesta Indecente"[73]
RomeoSantosVEVO
1.34
September 9, 2013

Combined views (2013)
8.90
[139]

2014
"Uptown Funk"[26]
MarkRonsonVEVO
3.00
November 19, 2014

"Shake It Off"[30]
TaylorSwiftVEVO
2.53
August 18, 2014

"Bailando"[31]
EnriqueIglesiasVEVO
2.48
April 11, 2014

"Blank Space"[34]
TaylorSwiftVEVO
2.27
November 10, 2014

"Dark Horse"[37]
KatyPerryVEVO
2.27
February 20, 2014

Combined views (2014)
12.55
[139]

2015
"See You Again"[13]
Wiz Khalifa
3.48
April 6, 2015
[U]

"Sorry"[28]
JustinBieberVEVO
2.91
October 22, 2015

"Sugar"[29]
Maroon5VEVO
2.54
January 14, 2015

"Lean On"[33]
majorlazer
2.29
March 22, 2015

"Hello"[35]
AdeleVEVO
2.27
October 22, 2015

Combined views (2015)
13.49
[139]

2016
"Chantaje"[41]
shakiraVEVO
2.13
November 18, 2016

"Closer (Lyric video)"[43]
ChainsmokersVEVO
2.06
July 29, 2016

"This Is What You Came For"[44]
CalvinHarrisVEVO
1.96
June 16, 2016

"Work from Home"[51]
FifthHarmonyVEVO
1.81
February 26, 2016

"Rockabye"[52]
Clean Bandit
1.80
October 21, 2016

Combined views (2016)
9.76
[139]

2017
"Despacito"[8]
LuisFonsiVEVO
4.98
January 12, 2017
[V]

"Shape of You"[20]
Ed Sheeran
3.40
January 30, 2017

"Mi Gente"[56]
jbalvinVEVO
1.71
June 29, 2017

"Felices los 4"[77]
MalumaVEVO
1.30
April 21, 2017

"Criminal"[84]
Pina Records
1.23
August 18, 2017

Combined views (2017)
12.62
[139]

2018
"Dura"[154]
Daddy Yankee
0.54
January 18, 2018

"El Farsante (Remix)"[155]
Ozuna
0.49
January 30, 2018

"Amorfoda"[156]
Bad Bunny
0.37
February 14, 2018

"Finesse"[157]
Bruno Mars
0.35
January 3, 2018

"X (Equis)"[158]
NickyJamTV
0.34
March 1, 2018

Combined views (2018)
2.09
[139]

As of March 27, 2018

text: Historical most viewed videos[edit]

text: The following table lists the last 15 videos to become YouTube's most viewed video, from October 2005 to the present.

text:
Video name
Uploader
Views*
Upload date
Date achieved
Days held
Ref(s)
Notes

"Despacito"[8]
LuisFonsiVEVO
2,993,700,000
Jan 12, 2017
Aug 4, 2017
238
[159]
[W]

"See You Again"[13]
Wiz Khalifa
2,894,000,000
Apr 6, 2015
Jul 10, 2017
25
[161]

"Gangnam Style"[21]
officialpsy
803,700,000
Jul 15, 2012
Nov 24, 2012
1,689
[22]
[X]

"Baby"[46]
JustinBieberVEVO
245,400,000
Feb 19, 2010
Jul 16, 2010
862
[47]
[Y]

"Bad Romance"[151]
LadyGagaVEVO
178,400,000
Nov 23, 2009
Apr 14, 2010
93
[165]
[Z]

"Charlie Bit My Finger"[141]
HDCYT
128,900,000
May 22, 2007
Oct 25, 2009
171
[168]

"Evolution of Dance"[136]
Judson Laipply
118,900,000
Apr 6, 2006
May 2, 2009
176
[169]

"Girlfriend"[170][171]
RCARecords
92,600,000
Feb 27, 2007
Jul 17, 2008
289
[172]

"Evolution of Dance"[136]
Judson Laipply
78,400,000
Apr 6, 2006
Mar 15, 2008
124
[173]

"Music Is My Hot Hot Sex"[174]
CLARUSBARTEL72
76,600,000
Apr 9, 2007
Feb 29, 2008
15
[175]
[AA]

"Evolution of Dance"[136]
Judson Laipply
10,600,000
Apr 6, 2006
May 19, 2006
651
[178]
[AB]

"Pokemon Theme Music Video"[179]
Smosh
4,300,000
Nov 28, 2005
Mar 12, 2006
68
[180]
[AC]

"Myspace - The Movie"[183][184]
eggtea
2,700,000
Jan 31, 2006
Feb 18, 2006
22
[185]

"Phony Photo Booth"[186]
mugenized
3,400,000
Dec 1, 2005
Jan 21, 2006
28
[187]
[AD]

"The Chronic of Narnia Rap"[188]
youtubedude
2,300,000
Dec 18, 2005
Jan 9, 2006
12
[189]

"Ronaldinho: Touch of Gold"[190]
Nikesoccer
255,000
Oct 21, 2005
Oct 31, 2005
70
[191]
[AE]

"I/O Brush"[194]
larfus
247,000
Oct 5, 2005
Oct 29, 2005
2
[195]

As of March 30, 2018

text: *The approximate number of views each video had when it became YouTube's most viewed video.

text: Timeline of Most Viewed Videos (Oct 2005 - Mar 2018)

text: № 1 Most Viewed Video (Oct 2005 - Jun 2006)

text: № 1 Most Viewed Video (Apr 2006 - Jan 2010)

text: № 1 Most Viewed Video (Oct 2009 - Jan 2013)

text: № 1 Most Viewed Video (Jan 2012 - Mar 2018)


document_title: Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

question_text: when did they start filming guardians of the galaxy

root

text: Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1988, following his mother's death, a young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates led by Yondu Udonta. Twenty-six years later on the planet Morag, Quill steals an orb but is attacked by Korath, a subordinate to the fanatical Kree, Ronan. Although Quill escapes with the orb, Yondu discovers his theft and issues a bounty for his capture, while Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the orb.

tag: p

text: When Quill attempts to sell the orb on Xandar, capital of the Nova Empire, Gamora ambushes him and steals it. A fight ensues, drawing in a pair of bounty hunters: the genetically and cybernetically modified raccoon Rocket, and the tree-like humanoid Groot. Nova Corps officers capture the four, detaining them in the Kyln. A powerful inmate there, Drax, attempts to kill Gamora due to her association with Ronan, who killed his family. Quill convinces Drax that Gamora can bring Ronan to him, though Gamora reveals that she has betrayed Ronan, unwilling to let him use the orb's power. Learning that Gamora has a buyer for the orb, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Drax work with her to escape the Kyln in Quill's ship, the Milano.

text: Ronan meets with Gamora's adoptive father, Thanos, to discuss her betrayal. Quill's group flee to Knowhere, a remote criminal outpost in space built in the giant severed head of a Celestial. A drunken Drax summons Ronan while the rest of the group meet Gamora's contact, the collector Taneleer Tivan. Tivan opens the orb, revealing an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Tivan's tormented assistant Carina grabs the Stone, triggering an explosion that engulfs Tivan's archive.

text: Ronan arrives and easily defeats Drax, while the others flee by ship, pursued by Ronan's followers and Gamora's adoptive sister Nebula. Nebula destroys Gamora's ship, leaving her floating in space, and Ronan's fighters capture the orb. Quill contacts Yondu before following Gamora into space, giving her his helmet to survive; Yondu arrives and retrieves the pair. Rocket, Drax, and Groot threaten to attack Yondu's ship to rescue them, but Quill negotiates a truce, promising the orb to Yondu. Quill's group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death, but that they cannot let him use the Infinity Stone to destroy the galaxy. On Ronan's flagship, the Dark Aster, Ronan embeds the Stone in his warhammer, taking its power for himself. He contacts Thanos, threatening to kill him after first destroying Xandar; hateful of her adoptive father, Nebula allies with Ronan.

text: The Ravagers and Quill's group join with the Nova Corps to confront the Dark Aster at Xandar, with Quill's group breaching the Dark Aster with the Milano. Ronan uses his empowered warhammer to destroy the Nova Corps fleet. Gamora fights and defeats Nebula, who then escapes, but the group find themselves outmatched by Ronan's power until Rocket crashes a Ravager ship through the Dark Aster. The damaged Dark Aster crash-lands on Xandar, with Groot sacrificing himself to shield the group. Ronan emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar, but Quill distracts him, allowing Drax and Rocket to destroy Ronan's warhammer. Quill grabs the freed Stone, and with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket sharing its burden, they use it to destroy Ronan.

text: In the aftermath, Quill tricks Yondu into taking a container supposedly containing the Stone, and gives the real Stone to the Nova Corps. As the Ravagers leave Xandar, Yondu remarks that it turned out well that they did not deliver Quill to his father per their contract. Quill's group, now known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, have their criminal records expunged, and Quill learns that he is only half-human, his father being part of an ancient, unknown species. Quill finally opens the last present he received from his mother: a cassette tape filled with her favorite songs. The Guardians leave in the rebuilt Milano along with a sapling cut from Groot.

text: In a post-credits scene, Tivan sits in his destroyed archive with two of his living exhibits: a canine cosmonaut and an anthropomorphic duck.[N 1]

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord:
The half-human, half-alien[8] leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Missouri as a child in 1988 and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers.[9][10][11] About the character, Pratt said, "He had a hard time as a kid, and now he goes around space, making out with hot alien girls and just being a rogue and a bit of a jerk, and through teaming up with these guys, finds a higher purpose for himself."[12] He also added that the character is a mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly.[8] Pratt, who was mostly known for playing supporting characters, including Andy Dwyer on the television series Parks and Recreation, initially turned down the role. Pratt had lost weight to portray fit characters in films such as Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty, and had given up ambitions to play the lead role in action films after humbling auditions for Star Trek and Avatar. Casting director Sarah Finn suggested Pratt to Gunn, who dismissed the idea despite struggling to cast that role. Despite this, Finn arranged for a meeting between the two, at which point Gunn was immediately convinced that Pratt was perfect for the role. Pratt also won over Feige, despite having gained weight again for Delivery Man.[13] Prior to filming, Pratt underwent a strict diet and training regimen to lose 60 lb (27 kg) in six months.[14] Pratt signed a multi-film contract with Marvel,[15] and was granted a temporary leave from his work on Parks and Recreation in order to accommodate his participation in the film.[16] Wyatt Oleff portrays a young Quill.[17]
Zoe Saldana as Gamora:
An orphan from an alien world who seeks redemption for her past crimes. She was trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin.[9][18][19] Saldana said that she became Gamora through make-up rather than computer generated imagery (CGI) or performance capture.[20] On taking the role, Saldana said, "I was just excited to be asked to join by James Gunn and to also play someone green. I've been blue before [in Avatar]."[21] Saldana described Gamora as "…a warrior, she’s an assassin and she’s very lethal but what saves her is the same thing that can doom her. She has a sense of righteousness. She’s a very righteous individual."[8]
Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer:
A warrior who seeks to avenge his family's death at the hands of Ronan.[18] On relating to the character, Bautista said, "I can just relate to Drax so much it's not even funny. Just the simple things that we have in common. Simple things like the tattoos, the tragedy – because you know, I had a bit of tragedy in my life as well. So it's really easy for me to pull from that." Bautista also said that there was "a lot of comic relief to Drax", but the character was not aware of it. Bautista stated that he did not do much preparation for the role, because "Luckily, for me, I'm a lifelong athlete and I adapted real quick."[22] Bautista's makeup took approximately four hours to apply, though it could be removed in just 90 minutes.[23] Drax has various scarring patterns on his body, which replace the simple tattoos from the comics, each having a specific story. Additionally, his skin tone was changed from the bright green in the comics to a muddier grey, to avoid visual similarities to the Hulk.[24]
Vin Diesel as Groot:
A tree-like humanoid[25] who is the accomplice of Rocket. Diesel stated that he provided the voice and motion capture for Groot, after originally being in talks to star in a new Phase Three Marvel film.[26][27][28] Diesel also provided Groot's voice for several foreign-language releases of the film.[29] Krystian Godlewski portrayed the character on set, though his acting was not used in the final character CGI.[30][31] On the character, which Gunn based on his dog,[32] Gunn said, "All the Guardians start out the movie as bastards – except Groot. He's an innocent. He's a hundred percent deadly and a hundred percent sweet. He's caught up in Rocket's life, really." Gunn added that the design and movement of Groot took "the better part of a year" to create.[33] Gunn added, "The ways in which Vin Diesel says, 'I am Groot,' I am astounded. All of the 'I am Groots' that were earlier voices didn't sound very good at all… Vin came in and in one day, laid down all these 'I am Groot' tracks, and he's a perfectionist. He made me explain to him with ever  [sic] 'I am Groot,' exactly what he was saying… It was amazing when we first put that voice in there how much the character changed and how much he influenced the character."[34] Regarding the limited words used by Groot, Diesel said in many ways this was, "… the most challenging thing to ask an actor to do."[35] Diesel found an emotional note in his performance, invoking the death of his friend and Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker, saying, "This was in December [2013], and the first time I came back to dealing with human beings after dealing with death, so playing a character who celebrates life in the way Groot does was very nice."[36] Groot's form and size-changing abilities are seen, with Gunn stating that he has the ability to grow in the film.[37]
Bradley Cooper as Rocket:
A genetically engineered raccoon-like bounty hunter and mercenary who is a master of weapons and battle tactics.[9][25][38][39] Gunn worked with live raccoons to get the correct feel for the character, and to make sure it was "not a cartoon character", saying, "It's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of the Avengers, it's a real, little, somewhat mangled beast that's alone. There's no one else in the universe quite like him, he's been created by these guys to be a mean-ass fighting machine."[40] Gunn also based the character on himself.[32] Describing Rocket in relation to the rest of the Guardians, Cooper said, "I think Rocket is dynamic. He's the sort of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas guy."[41] Cooper voiced Rocket, while Sean Gunn (James' younger brother) stood in for the character during filming.[42] James Gunn said that for the role of Rocket, some physical movement from Cooper, including facial expressions and hand movements, was recorded as potential reference for the animators,[43] though much of Sean Gunn's acting is used throughout the film.[30] Before Cooper was cast, James Gunn said that it was a challenge finding a voice for Rocket, that he was looking for someone that could balance "the fast-talking speech patterns that Rocket has, but also can be funny, because he is really funny. But also has the heart that Rocket has. Because there are actually some pretty dramatic scenes with Rocket."[44]
Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser:
A Kree radical who agrees to retrieve an artifact for Thanos in exchange for eradicating his mortal enemies, the Xandarians. Ronan and his Sakaaran army[45] hunt down the Guardians when they interfere with his goals.[9][46] Describing Ronan, Gunn said, "He is the primary villain, and he is a really twisted guy, he has a really religious bent in this film. He has a very sick and twisted view of what morality is; strength is virtue and weakness is sin and that is what he lives by, and I think he is very scary because of his beliefs, which are real to him."[47] Pace, who originally auditioned for Peter Quill,[48] described Ronan as a "psycho" and a "monster".[49]
Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta:
A blue-skinned bandit who is the leader of the Ravagers and a paternal figure to Quill.[9][50] Yondu helps Quill to steal the orb before Quill betrays him, leaving Yondu and the Ravagers to chase the Guardians. On the character, Rooker said, he has "some interesting issues–not a good guy, not a bad guy. There's hope and there's a heart inside Yondu." Gunn created the film's version of the character specifically with Rooker in mind, while borrowing the character's mohawk and use of a whistle-controlled arrow from the comics. Rooker fully committed to the role once he knew his role on the TV series The Walking Dead would be ending.[51] Rooker's makeup took approximately four hours to apply.[52]
Karen Gillan as Nebula:
An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as siblings and is a loyal lieutenant in the employ of Ronan and Thanos.[9][11] About the character, Gillan said, "She is the female villain of the film … She is very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason."[53] She also added, "I think she's a really interesting character. What I like to play around with is how jealous she is. She's Gamora's sister, and there's a lot of sibling rivalry. That's the most interesting aspect to me, because jealousy can consume you and turn you bitter, and ugly. And she's a total sadist, so that's fun too."[54] Gillan researched the ancient Spartans, shaved off her hair, and trained for two months for the role.[54][55] The character's makeup took approximately four and a half hours to be applied.[54]
Djimon Hounsou as Korath:
A Kree[45] ally of Ronan who is a feared intergalactic hunter.[9] As to why he took the role Hounsou said, "I have a four-year old son who loves superheroes from Spider-Man to Iron Man to Batman. He's got all the costumes. One day he looks at me and says 'Dad, I want to be light-skinned so I could be Spider-Man. Spider-Man has light skin.' That was sort of a shock. This is why I am excited to be a part of the Marvel Universe, so I could hopefully provide that diversity in the role of the superhero."[56]
John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey: A corpsman in the Nova Corps, the Nova Empire's military and police force.[9][57]
Glenn Close as Irani Rael:
The leader of the Nova Corps, known as Nova Prime, whose mission is to protect the citizens of the Nova Empire and keep peace.[9][58][59] Close stated that she "had always wanted to be in a movie like [Guardians of the Galaxy], and that it would be "the most fun to play something like the Judi Dench [as M or] Samuel L. Jackson [as Nick Fury] role".[60] She said that she took the role because she "love[s] to do stuff that's different" and wanted to show that she "[has] always been up for anything."[61] She also stated that her contract has "several" films on it, and that she would be open to working on other Marvel Studios films in addition to returning for Guardians sequels.[60]
Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector:
An obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species in the galaxy who operates out of a place in space named Knowhere.[9][58][62] Describing del Toro's performance, Gunn said, "He's like an outer-space Liberace. That's what it says in the script, which he's kind of doing."[43] On bringing the character to life, del Toro said, "What James [Gunn] wanted, that I found out little by little as I was doing it, is that he wanted me to explore and just keep pushing the character and keep creating [him] as I was in front of the camera."[63]

tag: ul

text: Additionally, Josh Brolin appears, uncredited, as Thanos through voice acting and performance capture.[64][65][66] Sean Gunn stood in for Thanos during filming and portrays Kraglin, Yondu's first mate in the Ravagers.[30] Alexis Denisof reprises his role as Thanos's vizier, "The Other", from The Avengers.[67] Ophelia Lovibond plays Carina, the Collector's slave;[68][69] Peter Serafinowicz plays Denarian Garthan Saal, a Nova Corps officer;[70][71] Gregg Henry plays Quill's grandfather;[72] Laura Haddock plays Quill's mother, Meredith;[71][73] Melia Kreiling plays Bereet;[74] Christopher Fairbank plays The Broker;[75] Mikaela Hoover plays Nova Prime's assistant;[76] Marama Corlett plays a pit boss at the bar, The Boot;[77] Emmett J. Scanlan plays a Nova riot guard;[78][79] Alexis Rodney plays Moloka Dar;[80][81] Tom Proctor plays Horuz, a Ravager;[82] and Spencer Wilding plays a prison guard who confiscates Quill's Walkman.[80][83] Canine actor Fred appears as Cosmo.[6] Stephen Blackehart had a supporting role.[84] Naomi Ryan also had a supporting role in the film, though it was cut in the final version.[77] Cameos in the film include: James Gunn as a Sakaaran;[6] Stan Lee as a Xandarian Ladies' Man;[6][85] Lloyd Kaufman as an inmate;[86][87] Nathan Fillion as the voice of an inmate;[6][88] Rob Zombie as the voice of the Ravager Navigator;[6] composer Tyler Bates as a Ravager pilot;[89] and Seth Green as the voice of Howard the Duck.[7]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text:
"I think anybody... who would have said that this would make a great main movie would have been laughed off. It's such an unlikely thing to do. So I think it's lovely to work on something and expose its potential to the point where a company like Marvel will say, 'Yes, this makes sense.'"

—Dan Abnett, co-writer of the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy relaunch, on the project[90]

tag: div

text: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."[91] Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men and The Avengers.[92]

text: Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He stated that the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon.[93] Two pieces of concept art were also displayed, one of Rocket Raccoon, and one featuring the entire team.[94] In August 2012, James Gunn entered talks to direct the film, beating out other contenders, including Peyton Reed and the duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.[95] The Avengers director Joss Whedon, who signed a deal to creatively consult on all of the films leading up to The Avengers sequel,[96] was enthusiastic about the selection of Gunn to direct, saying "James [Gunn] is what makes me think it will work… He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon… He has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It's going to be hard for [the human characters] to keep up."[97]

text: Writing[edit]

text: Nicole Perlman, who was enrolled in Marvel's screenwriting program in 2009,[98] was offered several of their lesser known properties to base a screenplay on.[99] Out of those, Perlman chose Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy, due to her interest in space and science fiction,[99] adding, "I think [Marvel] were a little taken aback when I chose Guardians, because there were ones that would make a lot more sense if you were a romantic-comedy writer or something like that." Perlman spent two years writing a draft, immersing herself in the Guardians universe, and was asked in late 2011 to create another draft, before Gunn was brought in in early 2012 to contribute to the script.[100] Gunn eventually rewrote the script entirely because "it didn’t work" for him; he would use the film The Dirty Dozen as a reference to convey his ideas of the film to Marvel.[101] Gunn later explained that Perlman's draft was very different from the script he used during filming, including a different story, character arcs and no Walkman; he stated, "In Nicole’s script everything is pretty different… it's not about the same stuff. But that's how the WGA works. They like first writers an awful lot."[102] In August 2012, Marvel Studios hired writer Chris McCoy to rewrite Perlman's script,[103] however, it is unclear what contribution he had to the final script, since he did not receive production credit.[58]

text: Gunn revealed that character introductions were the "hardest scenes to crack", with Thanos' introduction being the most difficult. He felt that "having Thanos be in that scene was more helpful to the [MCU] than it was to Guardians of the Galaxy," yet he still wanted Thanos in the film, without "[belittling] the actual antagonist of the film, which is Ronan." To solve his dilemma, Gunn chose to have Ronan kill "The Other", Thanos' vizier, saying, "I thought that was interesting, because we’ve had the Other, who’s obviously very powerful even in comparison to Loki, and then we see Ronan wipe his ass with him. So that I liked, but even that was sort of difficult, because it played as funnier when I first wrote it, and the humor didn’t work so much."[104]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In September 2012, Gunn confirmed that he had signed on to direct the film and rewrite the script.[105] By the end of November, Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, and Eddie Redmayne signed deals to test for the role of Peter Quill, as did Lee Pace,[106] which he confirmed a week later in early December.[48] Other actors who were considered for the role included Thor: The Dark World's Zachary Levi,[107] Joseph Gordon-Levitt,[108] Michael Rosenbaum,[109] and John Gallagher Jr.[110] Chris Pratt was cast in the role in February 2013, as part of a multi-film deal that he signed with Marvel.[15][111]

text: In January 2013, filming was scheduled to take place at Shepperton Studios in London, United Kingdom,[112] and Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released in 3D.[113] Victoria Alonso, an executive producer on the film, said that filming would begin in June. She also said that both Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be created through a combination of CGI and motion capture, going on to say that "You can't do any motion capture with a raccoon—they won't let you put the suit on. But we will do rotomation, probably, for some of the behavior… we definitely will have performers to emulate what James Gunn will lead to be, the behavior and the performance. He's very clear on where he wants to take the characters."[114] In March 2013, Feige discussed Guardians of the Galaxy in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying, "It's much more of a standalone film. It takes place in the same universe. And when we've been on the other side of that universe in other movies, you might see those characteristics in Guardians, but the Avengers are not involved with what's happening out there at this time." Feige also stated that 95% of the film would take place in space.[115] In mid-March, Dave Bautista was signed to play Drax the Destroyer.[116] Other actors who had been considered for the role included Isaiah Mustafa, Brian Patrick Wade, and Jason Momoa.[116] By the following week, sculptor Brian Muir, who sculpted Darth Vader's mask for the Star Wars films, was revealed to be working on the film.[117]

text: In early April 2013, Zoe Saldana entered into negotiations to star as Gamora in the film, and it was confirmed she had been cast later that month.[68][118] Also in April, Michael Rooker joined the film's cast as Yondu,[50] and it was announced that Ophelia Lovibond had been cast in a supporting role.[68] By this point in time, Lee Pace was in final negotiations to play the villain of the film.[119] In May, Marvel offered John C. Reilly the role of Rhomann Dey.[120] At the same time, it was disclosed that filmmakers were looking at actors including Hugh Laurie, Alan Rickman, and Ken Watanabe, for another role, and that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were providing finishing touches to the script.[120] A few days later, Glenn Close was cast as the head of the Nova Corps in the film,[59] followed shortly by the casting of Karen Gillan as the film's lead female villain.[121] By June 2013, Benicio del Toro was cast in the film, as part of a multi-film deal with Marvel Studios.[62] Later in the month, it was confirmed that Reilly had been cast as Rhomann Dey.[57]

text: Special effects makeup designer David White took head and body casts of actors, such as Bautista, to experiment with materials used to create the characters. White said, "James always pushed for practical and makeup effects. He wanted, like me, to see the real deal there on set." White was careful not to use "modern" creature designs to ensure they did not fall short in Gunn's uniquely envisioned world. White and his team created upwards of 1,000 prosthetic makeup applications and 2,000 molds of different-colored aliens.[122] For the specific aesthetic look to the film, Gunn wanted to create "a colorful science-fiction world", and include elements of 1950s and '60s pulp movies, citing the Ravagers' spaceships, which he compared to muscle cars, as an example of the latter.[123] Science fiction artist Chris Foss inspired and helped design the final look of some of the spacecrafts that appear in the film.[124]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography began around July 6, 2013 in London, United Kingdom,[55] under the working title of Full Tilt.[8] Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and Longcross Studios.[112][125] Later in July, Gunn and the film's cast flew from London to attend San Diego Comic-Con International, where it was revealed that Pace would play Ronan the Accuser, Gillan would be Nebula, del Toro as The Collector, and that Djimon Hounsou had been cast as Korath.[55][58] Close was later revealed to play Nova Prime Irani Rael.[9][58] Also at San Diego Comic-Con, Feige stated that Thanos would be a part of the film as the "mastermind".[126] On August 11, 2013, filming began at London's Millennium Bridge,[127] which was selected as a double for Xandar.[24] In August 2013, Marvel announced that Bradley Cooper would voice Rocket.[38] On September 3, 2013, Gunn said that filming was "a little over half[way]" complete.[128] Also in September, Vin Diesel stated that he was voicing Groot.[28] However, Marvel did not confirm Diesel's involvement in the film at the time.[42][43][129] On October 12, 2013, Gunn announced on social media that filming had completed.[130]

text: Director of photography Ben Davis used Arri Alexa XT cameras for the film, saying, "I’m traditionally a photochemical fan, but going with the digital format was the right way for this movie… the Alexa [provided] the right look for this particular film." During the opening scenes in the 1980s, Davis chose JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lenses because they "had more anamorphic artifacts and aberrations, which [he] felt added something." Davis used spherical Panavision Primos for the rest of the film. Additionally, Davis worked closely with production designer Charles Wood in order to achieve the correct lighting looks for each scene.[125] Dealing with two fully CGI characters forced Davis to shoot scenes multiple times, usually once with the references for the characters and once without them in the shot.[131]

text: Gunn revealed that his brother, Sean Gunn, took on multiple roles during the filming process, such as standing in for Rocket, which he noted was beneficial for the other actors, including Saldana, Pratt, and Bautista, who responded positively to Sean and his on-set performances.[30] Special effects makeup designer David White made two life-size versions of Rocket and a bust of Groot as aids for visual effects, with White saying, "it gives [the filmmakers] a good indication of where visual effects needs to pick up and whether Rocket can actually reach certain things or use certain devices."[31] These busts were also used to see how the on-set lighting would affect the characters, to assist with the visual effects lighting process.[31]

text: In January 2015, Disney revealed that the film came in "slightly over the agreed budget" at $232.3 million, with Disney receiving a rebate of $36.4 million from the British government.[2] It was previously estimated to have had a $170 million budget.[132]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: In November 2013, Gunn stated that he attempted to use as many practical effects as possible while filming to aid the use of CGI and motion capture during post-production, saying, "Our sets are enormous. We have a prison that is 350,000 pounds of steel. Anybody who knows me knows I love the mix of practical and CGI effects… I can't wait for people to see it, because it's astonishingly beautiful."[133] After the release of Thor: The Dark World, Feige stated that the Infinity Stones would be a focus in the film, as well as going forward into the Phase Three slate of films within the MCU.[134] In a separate interview for The Dark World in November, Feige added that a third, unknown Infinity Stone would be seen in the film,[135] referred to as the "Power Stone" by the Collector.[136][137] The mid-credits scene in The Dark World revealed Lovibond's role as the Collector's aide, later named Carina.[69] In December 2013, Marvel confirmed that Diesel would voice Groot.[138]

text: A few weeks of additional filming, involving the film's main cast and crew, occurred in March 2014 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.[139][140][141] In April 2014, Gunn described Thanos as the "head of the snake" in the film, and confirmed he would appear via performance capture.[11] In May 2014, Gunn stated that the film features an "enormous" amount of smaller and minor characters from the Marvel Universe, adding that he felt the film had the most characters overall of any Marvel Studios film to date.[142] Costume supervisor Dan Grace added to this by saying, "We really, really get the feeling of the scale and scope of the galaxy. We visit five planets, we see a hundred different races." The film introduces the alien race Sakaaran, who act as Ronan's mercenaries, as a replacement to the Badoon, as the Badoon film rights belonged to 20th Century Fox.[45]

text: By the end of May, Josh Brolin was revealed as the voice of Thanos,[64][65] with Feige confirming in July that Brolin also provided the performance capture for the character.[66] Thanos communicates via hologram for much of the film, though he does appear in a scene with Ronan and Nebula.[136] In June 2014, Feige added that Thanos and his followers are "the biggest piece of connective tissue that will eventually lead us back into Avengers films in the future."[143] On casting Brolin, Feige said,

text: We reached out to him and it was one of those things that does not happen all the time but when it does it’s very nice, where he was totally intrigued. He was a fan of what we did, he met with Jeremy Latcham in a hotel in London and learned about the characters a little bit. I spoke to him on the phone a few times. We ran it by James who loved it, ran it by Joss [Whedon] who loved it because Thanos is in this universe because of Avengers. Then we shot him and recorded for it.[66]

text: On July 7, 2014, Gunn announced on social media that he had completed work on the film.[144] In August, regarding the post-credit scene, Gunn revealed that the scene did not involve Howard the Duck when it was originally filmed, rather he was added during post-production,[145] a decision made by "some combination of [Gunn] and the editor Fred Raskin".[146] As the decision to add the character was made late in the post-production process, he had to be designed that day, before being handed off to Sony Pictures Imageworks to animate.[146] Also in August, regarding the pre-credit scene of Groot dancing, Gunn stated that he himself danced to provide motion reference for the animators, and that the decision was made to place the scene before the credits, rather than during or after them, because of positive responses from a test audience, which made Marvel and Gunn feel that they did not want "people walking out and missing this thing".[147] Marvel used design firm Sarofsky once again for the film's title sequences, after liking their work for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Sarofsky developed a custom typeface based on the font used in the teaser posters for the opening credits, which was tinted orange to offer a better contrast to the film's blue and grey imagery. One of the typography solutions offered before the final product wound up being repurposed as the locator cards seen throughout the film.[148]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: The film featured 2,750 visual effects shots,[150] which make up approximately 90% of the film.[149] The visual effects were created by: Moving Picture Company (MPC), who worked on creating Groot, as well as Morag, Xandar, the Dark Aster and the final battle on Xandar;[149] Framestore, who worked on creating Rocket, extending the Kyln prison set and constructing Knowhere;[149][151] Luma Pictures, who worked on Thanos;[149] Method Studios, who worked on creating the Orb opening and revealing its powers, as well as the holographic displays at the Nova Corps command center;[149] Lola VFX; Cantina Creative; Sony Pictures Imageworks, who worked on Howard the Duck and creating the Dark Aster shots with MPC;[146][149] CoSA VFX; Secret Lab; Rise Visual Effects Studios; and Technicolor VFX.[152][153] Pre- and post-visualizations were done by Proof and The Third Floor, with Proof also contributing to the creation of Rocket and Groot.[149]

text: Producer Nik Korda noted how helpful it was to have Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski portray Rocket and Groot on set, as it provided references for lighting and on-set performances to the animators.[31] When creating Groot, MPC realized early on that his eyes would be essential in maintaining the character's human qualities, as his face couldn't move in the way that humans' do. MPC visual effects supervisor Nicolas Aithadi explained that, "When you look at humans what makes the eyes interesting is the imperfections—trying to make these two irises not aimed at the same place—trying to make them strange and look more human."[149] Textures for Groot came from a number of sources, including inspiration from a botanical garden in London, and the character was modeled as individual branches, rigged individually, to simulate a muscle system for the character.[149]

text: One of the major challenges for Framestore in creating Rocket was his fur. Framestore's Rachel Williams explained that, since "raccoon fur is made up from a layer of short fine hair and a layer of longer thicker hairs", these layers were separated and animated individually, removing the need to use "guide hairs" to control the movements of thick sections of fur.[149] Framestore and MPC worked closely sharing assets, to ensure shots of Rocket at MPC would match the Rocket created by Framestore, and vice versa for when Groot was needed by the other studio.[149]

text: In order to give Thanos "the performance and the weight that he deserved", Luma Pictures created a new facial animation system to re-create Josh Brolin as a fully CG character, using his "eyes, some of his cheek, how his muscles move when he talks". The character's large jaw, and the deep groves that run down his face, had "to be carefully planned out with the movement of his face."[149]

text: Music[edit]

text: In August 2013, Gunn revealed that Tyler Bates would be composing the film's score. Gunn stated that Bates would write some of the score first so that he can film to the music, as opposed to scoring to the film.[154] In February 2014, Gunn revealed that the film would incorporate songs from the 1960s and 1970s, such as "Hooked on a Feeling", on a mixtape in Quill's Walkman, which acts as a way for him to stay connected to the Earth, home, and family he lost.[155] In May 2014, Gunn added that using the songs from the '60s and '70s were "cultural reference points", saying, "It’s striking the balance throughout the whole movie, through something that is very unique, but also something that is easily accessible to people at the same time. The music and the Earth stuff is one of those touchstones that we have to remind us that, yeah, [Quill] is a real person from planet Earth who’s just like you and me. Except that he’s in this big outer space adventure."[142]

text: When choosing the songs, Gunn revealed he "started the process by reading the Billboard charts for all of the top hits of the '70s", downloading "a few hundred" songs that were "semi-familiar—ones you recognize but might not be able to name off the top of your head" and creating a playlist for all the songs that would fit the film tonally. He added that he "would listen to the playlist on my speakers around the house—sometimes I would be inspired to create a scene around a song, and other times I had a scene that needed music and I would listen through the playlist, visualizing various songs, figuring out which would work the best."[156] Most of the songs were played on set to help "the actors and the camera operators find the perfect groove for the shot", with David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" the only song chosen and added during post-production. Gunn also said that the opening scenes were designed with "Hooked on a Feeling" in mind; however, once Gunn discovered "Come and Get Your Love", the song used in the sequence, Gunn felt it was a "better fit."[156]

text: Three albums were released by Hollywood Records on July 29, 2014: The film's score, Guardians of the Galaxy (Original Score), which features the music composed by Bates for the film;[157] Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which comprises the twelve songs from Quill's mixtape; and a deluxe edition featuring both albums.[158] By August 2014, the album which mirrored Quill's mixtape had reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack album in history consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart.[159] Hollywood Records also released a cassette version of the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack on November 28, 2014, as an exclusive to Record Store Day participants. The cassette, which is the first cassette Disney Music Group has released since 2003, comes with a digital download version of the album.[160]

text: Release[edit]

text: The world premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy was held on July 21, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.[161][162] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2014,[142] and in the United States on August 1,[93] in 3D and IMAX 3D.[113][163] The film was released in 4,080 theaters in the United States, making it the widest August release, breaking the five-year record held by G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (4,007 theatres). The breakdown of venues was: 354 IMAX screens, 3,200 3D screens, 350 large format screens and 240 D-Box screens.[164] In its sixth weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy was playing in 69 territories, its most.[165]

text: In June 2014, Gunn stated that the film had always been planned as a 3D film, and "Unlike many directors, I've been actively involved with converting every shot to 3D, making sure it works perfectly for the story and the film, making sure it's spectacular and immersive without being silly, distracting, or overly showy." Gunn also revealed that the IMAX 3D version would include shifting aspect ratios, to make the viewing experience "even fuller and more encompassing. I've personally chosen all the places where the changes occur… The changing aspect ratios in this case are actually a part of the storytelling."[166] In July 2014, Gunn revealed that there were multiple scenes he had cut from the film, and he was investigating how to release them, either in an extended cut of the film, or as bonus features on the film's home media release.[66]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: At Disney's D23 Expo in August 2013, Feige presented footage first revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013.[167] The first trailer for the film debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 18, 2014, with a special introduction by Chris Pratt.[10] The Los Angeles Times said the trailer delivered "some spirited alien action, with exploding spaceships and muscled bad guys, not to mention a few purely comedic moments," while spotlighting "a number of the offbeat characters."[168] Total Film noted the similarity of the trailer's opening clip to the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Gunn stated was a big influence for Guardians,[169] and made note of the "edgy" humor used throughout.[170] Total Film also noted the similarity of the trailer to the one debuted at Comic-Con and D23, with a few new shots featuring Nebula and the Collector.[171][172] Social media response to the trailer was strong, with 88,000 mentions across Twitter, Facebook and various blogs in a 12-hour period. Those numbers were comparable to trailers for other superhero films like Man of Steel and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and noteworthy for the late night time period in which it premiered.[173] The trailer received 22.8 million views in the 24 hours after it debuted.[174] After the debut of the trailer, Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling", which was prominently used throughout the trailer, went up 700% in sales the following day.[175] The line from Serafinowicz's character, "What a bunch of a-holes", was only intended to be featured in the trailers, but due to its positive reception, was included in the final cut of the film.[176] Gunn noted that a different teaser was almost released "that was very cheesy [and] sold the movie as something different than what it was", as it tested better than the version that was ultimately released. Gunn credited the marketing teams at Marvel and Disney for having faith in the latter version, despite how it tested, over choosing the version that would have mis-marketed the film.[177]

text: In March 2014, the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "T.A.H.I.T.I." introduced the Kree race to the MCU, which began a storyline that recurs throughout the series and involves finding a hidden Kree city.[178][179] Also in March, ABC aired a one-hour television special titled, Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which included a sneak peek of Guardians of the Galaxy.[180] Starting in April 2014, a two-part comic was released, titled Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Wellington Alves, the first issue focused on the background of Nebula and her bond with Thanos; the second issue featured the adventures of Rocket and Groot before they join forces with the other Guardians.[181] In June 2014, Mike Pasciullo, senior VP of Marvel Studios, described the marketing approach for Guardians of the Galaxy by saying that Marvel had "built a robust marketing program for the theatrical release that carefully integrates traditional advertising, social media, digital marketing, strategic promotional partnerships, organic entertainment integrations [and] publicity."[182]

text: In July 2014, Marvel launched a viral marketing campaign for the film called "Galaxy Getaways", a fictional travel website that allows users to book passage to some of the planets depicted in the film, including Xandar, Morag, and Knowhere.[183] Beginning July 4, 2014, a sneak peek of the film was presented at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Magic Eye and ABC Sound Studio theaters, respectively.[184] Approximately 14 minutes of the film was screened on July 7, 2014, in IMAX 3D in the United States, and 3D theaters and IMAX 3D in Canada, along with two trailers.[185][186] The screening was met with positive reviews, praising the humor, the 3D and IMAX conversion, and Cooper's portrayal of Rocket.[186][187][188][189] However, it was criticized for beginning partway through the film, not allowing viewers to easily acclimate to the film's tone,[187][190] and for how the general audience might respond to a film within the MCU without established characters making appearances.[190]

text: On July 12, 2014, Gunn and the actors from the film promoted Guardians of the Galaxy at the Lido 8 Cineplex in Singapore.[191] On July 17, 2014, Disney Interactive released an action RPG video game titled Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon for iOS, Android and Windows devices.[192] The game's original story was written by Dan Abnett, and was meant to complement the film.[193] On July 21, Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Diesel and Cooper appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the film and debut some additional exclusive content.[162] On July 29, Pratt and Saldana rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange as part of the film's marketing strategy.[194]

text: On August 14, Marvel released the scene of Groot dancing,[195] which was shortly followed by an announcement from Funko that they were releasing a toy "Dancing Groot". The Hollywood Reporter noted that the quick release of the scene from Marvel two weeks after the film's theatrical release, along with the rush announcement from Funko, indicated the popularity of both the character and the scene.[196] The scene also produced the word "grooting", coined by Michael Rooker, in which a person dances similar to Groot, with the word entering the social media lexicon.[197] Also in August, Marvel held a special screening of the film at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Pratt dressed as Star-Lord to entertain the patients.[198]

text: Merchandise[edit]

text: In June 2012, Marvel filed eleven trademark applications for Guardians of the Galaxy, covering a variety of consumer products, from video games to cosmetics.[199] Disney Consumer Products partnered with Mad Engine, C-Life, New Era, Hasbro, Disguise, Rubies, Sideshow Collectibles, Lego, KIDdesigns, iHome, Funko, Freeze, Fast Forward, and Innovative Designs to produce merchandise for the film, with releases starting in June 2014.[182][200][201][202] Mad Engine and C-Life were partnered as the core apparel outfitters, producing a line of T-shirts and fleece jackets, while New Era produced headwear and hats.[200] Hasbro produced toys for the film; Disguise and Rubies produced the costumes; and Sideshow Collectibles was given charge of the collectibles.[182][200] Lego announced three toy sets based on scenes from the film,[201] while iHome created character speakers, Funko made vinyl bobble heads, Freeze crafted 1980s-inspired apparel, and backpacks and stationery were made by Fast Forward and Innovative Designs.[182] Despite first films in a potential new franchise usually being off-limits to licensees, Marvel used Iron Man's success as evidence of unknown characters becoming hits with audiences to attract partnerships. Licensees embraced Rocket as the film's potential breakout character, with Drax and Gamora being used for older demographics; Star-Lord's obsession with 1980s nostalgia, including his "Awesome Mix Vo. 1" cassette, has also served as a basis for tie-in products.[182] In August 2014, Funko announced a toy based on "Dancing Groot",[196] while in October 2014, Marvel and KID designs announced a replica of dancing Groot, for release in December 2014.[203]

text: In December 2014, Disney made a second marketing push, to coincide with the film's home media release with additional merchandise. Merchandise partners included: KID designs with its replica dancing Groot; Funko's Fabrikations line with a plush Rocket; Mattel’s Hot Wheels character cars; C-Life, Hybrid-Jem Sportswear, Freeze, MZ Berger, Accutime, AME and Her Universe with apparel; ThinkGeek with jewelry and watches; American Greetings with cards; Jay Franco with homegoods; and Vandor with drinkware. Additional partners included Mad Engine, Just Play, and Dragon Models. Paul Gitter, senior vice-president of Marvel licensing at Disney Consumer Products said, "The demand for Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise has been truly out of this world. Our merchandising and retail partners are doing a tremendous job of providing creative and innovative ways for fans to continue interacting with these popular characters and showcase their fandom year round."[204]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy was released for digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on November 18, 2014 and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD on November 24, 2014, in the United Kingdom and on December 9 in the United States.[205][206] The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and an exclusive preview of Avengers: Age of Ultron.[206] As of October 4, 2015[update], the film has earned over $118 million in sales in the US.[207]

text: The film was also included in the 13-disc box set, titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection", which includes all of the Phase Two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was released on December 8, 2015.[208]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy earned $333.2 million in North America and an estimated $440.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $773.3 million.[3] The film became the third-highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, behind The Avengers and Iron Man 3.[209] It was the third-highest-grossing 2014 film (behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) and the highest-grossing superhero film of 2014.[2][210] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $160.7 million.[211] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit for the film to be $204.2 million, when factoring together "production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV," placing it fifth on their list of 2014's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[212]

text: North America[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy earned $11.2 million on its Thursday night pre-opening, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier's gross ($10.2 million) for the biggest Thursday evening start for a movie in 2014.[213] IMAX accounted for 17% of the total gross ($1.9 million), which was the biggest August pre-release in IMAX format.[164] On its opening day, the film earned $37.8 million, including the Thursday night earnings.[214] Guardians of the Galaxy was the number one movie during its opening weekend and grossed $94.3 million, setting an August weekend record.[215] During the opening weekend, IMAX earnings amounted to $11.7 million and 3-D showings accounted for 45% of ticket sales. The film's success was partially attributed to its appeal to both genders: the opening-weekend audience was 44% female, which is the biggest proportion ever for a MCU film; 55% of the opening-weekend audience was over the age of 25.[215]

text: Although the film fell to second place in its second and third weekends, behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[216][217] the film was number one in its fourth, fifth, and sixth weekend.[218][219][220] By doing so, it became the first film in 2014 to top the domestic box office in non-consecutive weeks,[218] the first film of the summer (May–August) to be the number one film in three weekends[221] and the first MCU film to be the top film for four weeks, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers, both of which were number one for three weeks, and tied The Dark Knight for the most weeks at number one among comic book-based films.[222] Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst of BoxOffice.com felt Guardians success was "unconventional" and was "shattering expectations".[219] The film remained in the top 10 for ten weekends.[223]

text: The film was the top-grossing film of summer 2014 (ahead of Transformers: Age of Extinction),[224][225] first of 2014 to pass $300 million for its domestic gross,[226] and was the third-highest-grossing domestic film of 2014 (behind American Sniper and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1).[227] The film was said to have "injected life" into an otherwise lower than normal summer box office.[219][225][228]

text: Outside North America[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 42 international markets and grossed $66.4 million on its opening weekend. The biggest debuts came from Russia ($13 million), the United Kingdom ($10.8 million), Mexico ($6.5 million), Brazil ($6.5 million), and South Korea ($4.7 million).[211] The film topped the weekend box office two times, in its first and second weekends.[211][229] In its eleventh weekend, the film opened in China, earning $29.8 million, its largest, and became the third highest opening in the country for any Disney release, behind Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was an all-time industry record opening in October.[230] The following weekend saw an additional $21.3 million from China, making China the highest-grossing market with $69 million.[209] The film's three biggest markets in total earnings were: China ($96.5 million), the UK ($47.4 million), and Russia ($37.5 million).[231]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 297 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect—as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor."[232] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 76 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[233] CinemaScore audiences gave Guardians of the Galaxy an "A" grade rating on an A+ to F scale,[234] while earning an "A+" among under-18 and 25- to 34-year-old viewers.[235]

text: Scott Foundas of Variety said "James Gunn's presumptive franchise-starter is overlong, overstuffed and sometimes too eager to please, but the cheeky comic tone keeps things buoyant—as does Chris Pratt's winning performance", and praised the film's look created by cinematographer Ben Davis, production designer Charles Wood, and special effects makeup designer David White.[152] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the film's look, and felt "A well-matched ensemble rises to the challenge of launching a heroic origin film with distinctive style, abundant thrills and no shortage of humor."[236] The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin said, "A brand new summer family blockbuster this may be, but it plays by old, half-forgotten rules; trimming out the clutter and cross-referencing for snappy, streamlined, Saturday-cartoon fun".[237] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy Guardians is irreverent in a way that can bring the first Star Wars to mind, in part because it has some of the most unconventional heroes this side of the Mos Eisley Cantina."[238] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "While Guardians takes you down one after another crazy narrative turn, it also pulls you into—and, for the most part, keeps you in—a fully realized other world."[239] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "Guardians of the Galaxy is a late summer treat—a mostly lighthearted and self-referential comic-book movie with loads of whiz-bang action, some laugh-out-loud moments and a couple of surprisingly beautiful and touching scenes as well," calling it "a refreshing confection of entertainment."[240] Jim Starlin, creator of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and Thanos, said it "might be Marvel's best movie yet".[241]

text: Jake Coyle of the Associated Press was more critical of the film, calling it "terribly overstuffed and many of the jokes get drowned out by the special effects… The pervasive movie references detract from the stab at freshness, and Guardians depends all too much on the whimsy of '70s anthems for an original beat." He also felt that Close, Reilly and del Toro were underused in the film.[242] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "In place of wit, Guardians offers a sort of generalized willingness to be amusing, an atmosphere of high spirits that feels like lots of people pumping air into a tire that has a hole in it. Everyone is clearly working, but nothing is really happening–and yet the effort is so evident that there's an impulse to reward it."[243] Kyle Smith of the New York Post also had a negative response to the film, comparing it to Howard the Duck and Green Lantern, and criticizing the dialogue, villains, soundtrack, lack of suspense, and the characters of Quill, Rocket, and Drax.[244] The film received mixed reviews in China, where viewers complained that the film's "poor subtitle translation not only spoiled the fun of watching it, but also made it difficult to understand its humor."[245]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award / Film Festival
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref(s)

2014
CinemaCon Awards
Breakthrough Performer of the Year
Chris Pratt
Won
[246]

Detroit Film Critics Society
Best Ensemble
Guardians of the Galaxy
Won
[247]

Hollywood Film Awards
Hollywood Blockbuster Award
Guardians of the Galaxy
Won
[248]

Young Hollywood Awards
Super Superhero
Chris Pratt
Nominated
[249]

2015
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
Best Action Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Won
[250]

Best Actor in an Action Movie
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Best Actress in an Action Movie
Zoe Saldana
Nominated

Best Makeup
David White
Won

Best Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti
Nominated

Empire Awards
Best Female Newcomer
Karen Gillan
Won
[251]

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated

Grammy Awards
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
Nominated
[252]

Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards
Best Contemporary Hair Styling in Feature Length Motion Picture
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou
Nominated
[253]

Best Contemporary Make-Up in Feature Length Motion Picture
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou
Won

Best Special Make-Up Effects in Feature Length Motion Picture
David White
Won

People's Choice Awards
Favorite Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated
[254]

Favorite Action Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated

Favorite Action Movie Actress
Zoe Saldana
Nominated

MTV Movie Awards
Movie of the Year
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated
[255]

Best Male Performance
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Best On-Screen Duo
Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel
Nominated

Best Shirtless Performance
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Best Musical Moment
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Best Comedic Performance
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Best On-Screen Transformation
Zoe Saldana
Nominated

Best Hero
Chris Pratt
Nominated

Satellite Awards
Best Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti
Nominated
[256]

Phoenix Film Critics Society
Top 10 Films of the Year
Guardians of the Galaxy
Won
[257]

Best Ensemble Acting
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated

Best Live Action Family Film
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti
Nominated

Houston Film Critics Society Awards
Best Picture
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated
[258]

Best Poster
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nominated

Art Directors Guild Awards
Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film
Charles Wood
Won
[259]

Visual Effects Society Awards
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Stephane Ceretti, Susan Pickett, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould
Nominated
[260]

Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Kevin Spruce, Rachel Williams, Laurie Brugger, Mark Wilson for "Rocket"
Nominated

Writers Guild of America Awards
Best Adapted Screenplay
James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
Nominated
[261]

British Academy Film Awards
Best Special Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi
Nominated
[262]

Best Makeup and Hair
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White
Nominated

Academy Awards
Best Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Nominated
[263]

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White
Nominated

Saturn Awards
Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture
Guardians of the Galaxy
Won
[264]

Best Director
James Gunn
Won

Best Writing
James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
Nominated

Best Actor
Chris Pratt
Won

Best Editing
Fred Raskin, Craig Wood and Hughes Winborne
Nominated

Best Production Design
Charles Wood
Nominated

Best Costume
Alexandra Byrne
Nominated

Best Make-up
David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou
Won

Best Special Effects
Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Nominated

Hugo Awards (Science Fiction Achievement Awards)
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
James Gunn (director, screenplay), Nicole Perlman (screenplay)
Won

tag: table

text: Sequels[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released on May 5, 2017, again written and directed by James Gunn.[265] Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Rooker, Gillan, and Sean Gunn all reprise their roles in the film,[266] and are joined by Pom Klementieff as Mantis,[5][267] Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, and Kurt Russell as Quill's father Ego.[5][266]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3[edit]

text: In April 2017, Gunn announced he would return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[268] It is scheduled to be released in 2020.[269]


document_title: Betty Cooper

question_text: in riverdale who does betty end up with

question_tokens: in riverdale who does betty end up with

text: Betty Cooper

text: Publication history[edit]

text:
Betty and Me

Publication information

Publisher
Archie Comics

Schedule
Varied between bimonthly and monthly

Format
Ongoing series

Genre

Romantic comedy

Publication date
Aug. 1965 – Aug. 1992

No. of issues
200

Main character(s)
Betty Cooper

text:
Betty

Publication information

Publisher
Archie Comics

Schedule
Varied between bimonthly and monthly

Format
Ongoing series

Genre

Romantic comedy

Publication date
Sept. 1992 – Jan. 2012

No. of issues
195

Main character(s)
Betty Cooper

text: Betty was named for, and originally based on, Betty Tokar Jankovich, a Czech immigrant who briefly dated Archie co-creator Bob Montana in 1939 when she was 18.[5] Created to serve as a love interest for Archie Andrews, she is portrayed as a smart, kind, talented, tomboyish, and beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

text: In addition to appearing in many Archie stories, Betty was the star of two long-running comic book titles published by Archie Comics during the period 1965–2012: Betty and Me (later styled as Betty & Me), which published 200 issues from Aug. 1965 to Aug. 2012; and Betty, which published 195 issues from Sept. 1992 to Jan. 2012. She also was featured in Betty's Diary, which published 40 issues from Apr. 1986–Apr. 1990.

text: Currently, Betty is the co-star of Betty and Veronica Digest Magazine, now known as B&V Friends Double Digest, which was launched in Nov. 1980 and has published more than 250 issues; and Betty and Veronica Double Digest, which has published 250+ issues since June 1987.

text: She was the co-star of Betty and Veronica, which ran for 347 issues (and eight annuals) from March 1950–April 1987. A new Betty and Veronica series published 278 issues from June 1987–late 2015. The limited series Betty and Veronica, taking place in their rebooted New Riverdale universe, was published in 2017. Betty and Veronica also co-starred in:

text:
Betty and Veronica Spectacular (90 issues, Oct. 1992–July 2009)
Betty and Veronica Summer Fun (six annual issues, 1994–1999)

text: Fictional character biography[edit]

text: Betty Cooper (Bety Rosas in the Spanish version) is the third and youngest child and second daughter of Hal Cooper and Alice Cooper. Her older brother Chic Cooper and older sister Polly Cooper have both moved out of Riverdale, their hometown. Chic moved to New York City and Polly to San Francisco, but both occasionally appear in flashbacks to Betty's childhood, and both occasionally visit their family.

text: The quintessential girl next door, Betty's middle class upbringing is a world apart from the flashy lifestyle of her wealthy friend, Veronica Lodge. Nowhere is this more evident than when she and Veronica are competing for Archie Andrews' heart, and yet they remain best friends (Veronica once told Archie that she and Betty are only rivals in unimportant matters, like boys.)

text: In the late 1960s, the two girls joined Archie's band, a garage band appropriately named The Archies. Both sang (usually backup), and Betty played tambourine, while Veronica played organ. This implies that Veronica is more musically talented, but that is not necessarily true. Some stories indicate that Betty is the better vocalist. Additionally, there is little consistency in the instruments she is able to play. Betty has played the recorder, tambourine, maracas, guitar, banjo, keyboard, saxophone, cello, and the bongos.

text: Interests and personality[edit]

text: Betty is friends with everybody, and is a loving daughter and sister. She likes to help the homeless, read to the senior citizens, and rescue wounded animals and birds.

text: Betty's hobbies include playing sports (particularly baseball), cooking, and looking after animals (she owns a cat, Caramel). She is also concerned with the environment and other social issues and encourages the rest of the gang to clean up after themselves. She loves children and sometimes babysits Jellybean with Jughead as well as other children in Riverdale. Occasionally, families hire Betty to keep their elderly members company. Betty is a skilled mechanic who frequently helps Archie with his broken down car Betsy. Betty is also good at skiing and car-racing. She is often said to be the best pitcher in the girls' baseball team. Betty is a scuba diver, wearing a red shorty wetsuit, breathing with an air tank she carries on her back and a regulator in her mouth, wears red fins on her feet and a mask on her face, but she prefers to swim underwater.

text: Contrary to the "dumb blonde"-stereotype, Betty actually has an above-average intelligence and is one of the smartest students at Riverdale High School, along with Dilton Doiley. In one story she won an award and was sent to compete in New York and has won numerous academic awards. At one point, she gained ESP when an encyclopedia accidentally fell on her head. This ability took away all hope for the future; Archie asked Veronica for a date, but Betty knew that Archie would dump Veronica for her. Betty lost her ESP power when a ball that Reggie kicked accidentally hit her; in her gratefulness, she gave him a thankful kiss.

text: Betty's many talents and accomplishments often make her friend Veronica jealous, who then tries to sabotage Betty to steal her glory and make her look bad.

text: During a stay at the Lodge mansion, while the family are in Europe, Betty is waited on hand and foot by the servants and, keeping true to her caring, loving, and unselfish nature, she begins to feel guilty about being waited on.

text: Wanting to do something very special for them in appreciation for the tough jobs that they do (and for what also seems to be a very thankless job in serving someone like Veronica, who tends to be very snobbish towards those who serve her), she throws them a pool party which surprises Mr. and Mrs. Lodge, and angers Veronica. In return, Smithers, the butler, and the rest of the staff, who are quite appreciative of what Betty did for them (since they never seem to get any appreciation from Veronica), offer to help Betty with the next party she throws, for free. Mr. Lodge would then lecture Veronica about how servants were people too.

text: Relationships[edit]

text: Betty's best friend is Veronica. Although the two are often involved in disputes over Archie or something else that evokes jealousy, they have remained the best of friends since their childhood. The two have commented that Jughead and Archie's friendship could not compare to theirs. In many stories, Betty and Veronica team up or help each other despite Veronica's jealousy and bitterness towards her. Betty's other female friends include Ethel Muggs, Midge Klump, and Nancy Woods, all of whom share common interests and group activities such as shopping and cheer-leading.

text: Frequently, Betty has been shown to date Reggie Mantle early on in the titles' runs and occasionally still, more often than not as a casual date when Veronica has Archie take her out. Sometimes, Reggie and Betty are seen to be flirting with each other; when Betty is feeling sad, Reggie always tells her that she has won a date with the most handsome man in the world. Although Reggie does not appear to admit it, he seems to care about Betty, but his self-image sometimes is more important. Once Betty said that sometimes the way Archie and Reggie fight over her, it sounds like she has the plague. In the Life with Archie magazines that depict a future timeline in which Archie marries Veronica, Betty and Reggie are portrayed as a loving couple.[6] It has been hinted they may be planning to get married.

text: Betty's relationship with Jughead Jones has mostly been that of close confidant and close friend, as they normally discuss their issues more candidly with each other than anyone else; Jughead will provide commentary on her feelings for Archie, and Betty will attempt to "better" Jughead, by getting rid of his slothful attitude and laziness. Once when she had a sprained ankle, Veronica told both Archie and Jughead to visit her. The four of them were having dinner together when people from the school mistook Jughead as Betty's boyfriend because he was carrying chocolates to her house. Jughead appears to care more about Betty than other girls and there have been hints of a potential romantic relationship between them. He once accidentally asked her out to a school dance. When he was telling Archie what to do, Betty walked up behind him and thought he was asking her even though he was just demonstrating how to ask Betty to the dance. In one story, Jughead even says that if the time ever comes that he would willingly kiss a girl, it would be Betty. A happy tear is seen sliding down Betty's face at this comment.

text: She had a friendship with an elderly woman named Lydia Wyndham, whom she found when doing research about World War I. With this acquaintance Betty got to know an accomplished writer and poet with a sharp mind (and a sad past—Betty's research had turned up a beau of Ms. Wyndham's who was killed in combat), but after a while Ms. Wyndham herself died.

text: At times, Betty is seen to have a close friendship with Cheryl Blossom, especially in Cheryl's own title. However, at other times, Betty and Veronica regard the seductive Cheryl as a threat because she tries to lure Archie away from them, and the two best friends unite against Cheryl to protect their interests. Jason Blossom, Cheryl's twin brother, is sometimes seen to have genuine interest towards Betty, which makes Archie jealous.

text: In the late 90s, Betty started dating Adam Chisholm. It was thought by some people that Betty had chosen Adam over Archie. This event made Archie jealous and he concentrated his attention on Betty, ignoring Veronica, as he always does when he thinks someone else may take Betty away from him. Though in actuality, Adam has rarely been seen in the stories after that story arc, and Betty has continued to prefer Archie.

text: Riverdale (TV 2017-)[edit]

text: In the CW’s live action drama Riverdale, Betty’s relationships differ from her Comic equivalent.

text: Betty’s best friend, Veronica Lodge, is a new girl who just moved into Riverdale from New York City. She is very kind to Betty and helps her with her longtime crush on childhood best friend, Archie Andrews. However, Veronica betrays that trust by kissing Archie in a game of Seven Minutes in heaven. Betty is heartbroken, but after Veronica apologizes profusely, she accepts the apology and their friendship becomes secure again. Despite one or two conflicts, Betty and Veronica’s friendship is one of the strongest in the show.

text: During the first few episodes of season one, Betty has a very big crush on her childhood best friend, Archie Andrews. With encouragement from Veronica, she builds up the courage to admit to her feelings. However Archie does not have the same feelings for her, and Betty is left heartbroken. After that, Betty and Archie’s friendship carries on, while hints of a romantic relationship are not mentioned. Later on in the series, Betty and Archie are sleuthing to uncover the mystery of the black hood together. In the midst of this investigation, the two kiss in a car. The kiss is not mentioned later on in the series except for the use of blackmail so Archie will help out Cheryl Blossom.

text: Betty and Jughead Jones are romantically involved in this version of the Archie universe. They begin their relationship sleuthing to try to solve the mystery of Jason Blossom’s murder, sharing their first kiss in Betty’s bedroom.

text: Career[edit]

text: Betty enjoys writing and keeps a diary that is featured in the series Betty's Diary. She wants to be a famous writer someday, an aspiration that her teacher Ms. Grundy approves of. She submits her work to writing magazines and has been published a number of times. She once got to be an intern for a fashion magazine but ended up modeling as well. At the same time, she takes various types of employment, including some work as a mechanic, which is also a career that she is interested in. In some stories she finds employment as an assistant teacher at the local elementary school. Betty is also a well known baby sitter, and baker.

text: Other versions[edit]

text: Jughead: The Hunger[edit]

text: In Jughead: The Hunger, Betty hails from a long-line of werewolf hunters that have always taken down the Jones werewolves. She only befriended Archie and faked her affections towards him in an effort to get closer to the newest werewolf of Riverdale, Jughead. Archie convinces her to try curing Jughead with wolfsbane, which initially works until it wears off and results in Reggie's death. Jughead leaves town because he knows Betty won't give him a second chance.[7] Betty sets out to find him with the help of Archie and her cousin Bo, with backing by her aunt, the Cooper family matriarch, Elena.[8][9]

text: Life with Archie: The Married Life[edit]

text: Betty appears as a main character in Life with Archie: The Married Life. In Archie Loves Veronica, she runs a catering business while her boyfriend, Reggie Mantle, runs a repair shop. They both star in a reality show based on their lives. In Archie Loves Betty, she is an English teacher at Riverdale High. However, in both universes, Betty previously worked as a buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.

text: In other media[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: Animated[edit]

text:
Betty appeared in The Archie Show, a 1968 cartoon series produced by Filmation. She also appeared in the various spin-offs The Archie Comedy Hour, Archie's Funhouse, Archie's TV Funnies, The U.S. of Archie and The New Archie and Sabrina Hour produced in the same format. She was voiced by Jane Webb.
Betty appeared in The New Archies, a 1987 re-imagining of Archie and the gang. Betty was portrayed as a pre-teen in junior high. She was voiced by Lisa Coristine.
Betty appeared in Archie's Weird Mysteries voiced by America Young.

text: Live-action[edit]

text:
Betty was portrayed by Lauren Holly in the 1990 TV movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again.
Betty appears in The CW series Riverdale, with Lili Reinhart portraying the character. As in the comics, Betty is a pretty and good-natured girl-next-door who once had a crush on her longtime friend Archie Andrews,.[10] However, Betty eventually begins a relationship with Jughead Jones, whom she loses her virginity to.

text: Film[edit]

text: Betty appeared in The Archies in Jugman, voiced by America Young. The film was released direct-to-video and takes place after Archie's Weird Mysteries.


document_title: Mining industry of Nigeria

question_text: iron ore is found in which state in nigeria

text: Mining industry of Nigeria

text: Coal, Lignite and Coke[edit]

text: Mining is the extraction[removal]of minerals and metals from the earth. The Nigerian Coal Corporation (NCC) is a parastatal corporation that was formed in 1950 and held a monopoly on the mining, processing, and sales of coal, lignite, and coke products until 1999.[2]

text: Coal was first discovered in Enugu in 1909 at the Udi Ridge in Enugu,This was found by a British mine Engineer known as Albert Kitson.Coal geology is a mixture of sedimentary rock and ancient vegetation which have been changed due to heat and microbial activities over considerable period of time. The Ogbete Mine had opened and begun regularly extracting coal by 1916. By 1920, coal production had reached 180,122 long tons (183,012 t). Nigeria coal was established in 1950, and by 1960 production was at 565,681 long tons (574,758 t). The Nigerian Civil War caused many mines to be abandoned. After the war ended in the early 1970s, coal production was never able to recover. Attempts to mechanize the industry in the 1970s and 1980s were ultimately unsuccessful, and actually hindered production due to problems with implementation and maintenance.[2] The main purpose for the use of coal in Nigeria is for the operation of railway system. Coal was converted to diesel after Nigeria civil war and the coal mining industry was abandoned.

text: The Nigerian government is currently trying to privatize the Nigerian Coal Corporation and sell off its assets. While the domestic market for coal has been negatively affected by the move to diesel and gas-powered engines by organizations that were previously major coal consumers, the low-sulfur coal mined in Nigeria is desirable by international customers in Italy and the United Kingdom, who have imported Nigerian coal. Recent financial problems have caused a near shutdown of the NCC's coal mining operations, and the corporation has responded by attempting to sell off some of its assets while it waits for the government to complete privatization activities.[3][4]

text: In April 2008, Minister of Mines and Steel Sarafa Tunji Ishola announced that Nigeria was considering coal as an alternative power source as it attempts to reform its power sector, and encouraged Chinese investors to invest in the coal industry.[5]

text: The Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office manages all the Nigerian mining licenses and mining rights. They are a subsiary of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

text: Gold[edit]

text: Gold deposits are found in Northern Nigeria, most prominently near Maru, Anka, Malele, Tsohon Birnin Gwari-Kwaga, Gurmana, Bin Yauri, Okolom-Dogondaji, and Iperindo in Osun state it is not very dominant in the country.[1]

text: Gold production began in 1913 and peaked in the 1930s. During the Second World War, production declined. Mines were abandoned by colonial companies, and production never recovered.[1]

text: The Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC) was formed in the early 1980s to explore for golds. Lack of fund, and the lure of easier profits from oil production led to its failure. There is no large scale gold mining operation in Nigeria today, though there is small-scale mining carried out by artists.[1] The family of Aleye from Anka is one of the leading gold families in the region.

text: Columbite Wolframite and Tantalite[edit]

text: Columbite and Tantalite are ores used to produce the elements niobium and tantalum. Columbite and tantalite are collectively known as coltan in Africa. Tantalum is a valuable rare element used in electronics manufacturing. In Nigeria, pegmatite deposits of coltan are frequently also the source of several precious and semi-precious stones such as beryl, aquamarine, and tourmaline. These pegmatites are found in Nassarawa State near the Jos Plateau, as well as in several areas in southeast Nigeria. There is small-scale mining of these minerals.[1] Wolframite (tungsten) can be found in the North states.

text: Bitumen[edit]

text: Bitumen was first discovered in 1900, with focused exploration beginning in 1905. Bitumen deposits are found in Lagos State, Ogun State, Ondo State, and Edo State. Conoco has performed a technical and economic evaluation of these deposits, and believes there to be over thirteen billion barrels of oil in these tar sands and bitumen seepages.[1]

text: Iron Ore[edit]

text: Nigeria has several deposits of iron ore, but the purest deposits are in and around Itakpe in Kogi State.[6][7]

text: The National Iron Ore Mining Company was founded in 1979 and given the mission to explore, exploit, process, and supply iron ore concentrate to the Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCL) in Ajaokuta and Delta Steel Company (DCL) in Aladja. Additional demand has come from several steel rolling mills. The company and its mining operations are based in Kogi State. Export of excess iron ore beyond what is required for domestic needs is currently being explored. Additionally, the Nigerian government has invested in foreign iron ore operations in Guinea.[7] 3

text: Uranium[edit]

text: The Nigeria Uranium Mining Company (NUMCO) was a parastatal organization that controlled the exploration and mining of uranium in Nigeria and was a public/private partnership with Total Compagnie Minière of France, which owned 40% of the company. In 1989, Total pulled out of the partnership, and in 1993 the government reassigned NUMCO's responsibilities to the Nigerian Geological Survey. The NUMCO corporation was dissolved in 1996,The mechanization of the coal corporation was not successful, this was because the military Government officials employ people they know such like friends and relations.[citation needed] This was the pattern coal corporation was managed. There was also a plan of the Federal government to privatize the coal corporation but it also failed.

text: The government is in the process of liquidating its remaining assets.[8]

text: Recently, several important uranium deposits were discovered in Cross River State, Adamawa State, Taraba State, Plateau State, Bauchi State, and Kano State by the British Geological Survey.[9]

text: Ecological effects[edit]

text: Environmental officials with the government of Plateau State believe that 1,100 tin and columbite mines, abandoned after the mining boom of the 1960s,now pose serious health risks to as many as 2 million people living in the area. Radioactive mine tailings were reported to be a danger to local people living around mining fields in Jos,Barikin-Ladi,Bukur, Bassa and Riyom districts.[10]