[News Figures] First Week Earnings of 370 Billion Won... 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Director 'James Gunn'

Boy Obsessed with 'B-Grade Comic Horror'
Made 8mm Zombie Film at 12
Obsessed with Brutal, Bizarre, Horror... No Mainstream Appeal
Suddenly Hired as Director by 'Marvel', Producer of 'Avengers'
'Guardians of the Galaxy' Series Hits Big... Even 'DC' CEO Noticed

The box office momentum for 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3' (Gaogael3), which was released on the 3rd, is heating up. As of 10 a.m. on the 9th, the cumulative audience has surpassed 1.7 million. 'Gaogael3' is a film that concludes the series following the previous installments released in 2014 and 2017, featuring the fierce raccoon character Rocket as the protagonist.

The director is James Gunn, who produced all the 'Gaogael' series. However, when he first made the 'Gaogael' films, hardly anyone predicted such box office success. This is because, judging by his previous works alone, he was a director who mainly produced brutal B-grade horror films. As a result, there is growing interest in his filmography and background.

Director James Gunn is posing at the press conference for Marvel Studios' new release "Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3" (Gaogael 3), held on April 18 at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Disney Marvel Studios' blockbuster new release 'Gaogael3' has held the number one spot at the box office for six consecutive days. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales system as of 10 a.m. on the 9th, on the 8th alone, it attracted 105,021 viewers, securing the top spot at the box office. The cumulative audience number stands at 1,735,976.

In its opening week, it earned about 370 billion KRW worldwide, including the United States. According to box office tracking site Mojo on the 7th (local time), in the U.S., where it was released on the 5th, it earned $114 million (approximately 151.3 billion KRW) in ticket sales within two days. It was released sequentially from the 3rd in 52 countries worldwide, including Korea, earning a total of $168.1 million (approximately 223.1 billion KRW), bringing the total domestic and international revenue to $282.1 million (approximately 370 billion KRW).

Some have expressed surprise at the global success of 'Gaogael3.' Director James Gunn's past works mostly consisted of bizarre comic horror films, lacking mass appeal and thus far from box office hits. James Gunn debuted in the film industry with 'Tromeo and Juliet' (1996), a B-grade adaptation of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet. He approached audiences with films featuring extreme violence and adult content, such as 'Slither' (2006) and 'Super' (2010).

According to the American film information site IMDb (Internet Movie Database), James Gunn was born in 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in a large Catholic family, he graduated from St. Louis High School in 1984, attended Saint Louis University, and earned a master's degree in creative writing from Columbia University Graduate School. It is known that he started making 8mm films at the age of 12, which were zombie movies featuring gruesome yet comedic elements with corpses pouring out.

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' web poster. Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea

During his college years, he dropped out to become a rock and roll singer and even released an album titled 'Mom, We Like It Here on Earth.' Meanwhile, he earned money by writing articles and drawing cartoons for the college newspaper, but his income was too low, so he returned to school to complete his bachelor's degree. Later, he reportedly criticized his master's program as "a huge waste of time."

After graduating from graduate school, he joined the film production company Troma Entertainment. Founded in 1974, this company was famous for producing distinctive low-budget horror films. For James Gunn, it was a workplace where he could fully utilize his talents. At Troma, James Gunn expressed his B-grade sensibility to the fullest. Lloyd Kaufman, the company's founder who recognized Gunn's talent, co-authored a book with him in 1998.

However, after watching films that were screened at the Cannes Film Festival and praised by critics, James Gunn had a change of heart. In 1997, he left the company and moved to Los Angeles, where he began writing screenplays in earnest. Perhaps influenced by films that were well-received by the public and critics, Gunn wrote a superhero screenplay far removed from his B-grade sensibility. The film based on his script, titled 'The Specials,' was released in 2000 and depicted the comedic daily lives of a fictional superhero team called 'The Specials.'

A 2004 horror film remake of the 1978 zombie movie. The screenplay was written by James Gunn.

Since the first 'Gaogael' was produced in 2014, 'The Specials' can be seen as a motif for this film. However, James Gunn refocused on his interest in comic horror, dedicating himself to writing B-grade film scripts such as '13 Ghosts' (2000) and 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004). He officially debuted as a director with 'Slither' (2006). 'Slither' tells the story of a man who, while drunk, discovers something in the woods and becomes infected by a tentacle-like monster. The film, featuring a creature that infects an entire town, received a cold response from the public.

However, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who noticed Gunn's works, entrusted him with directing the first 'Gaogael' film. This gamble paid off with global box office success, propelling James Gunn from a minor to a major director overnight.

After successfully concluding 'Gaogael,' James Gunn was recruited by DC Studios, which owns the copyrights to superheroes like Superman and Batman. He consecutively hit the mark with films such as 'The Suicide Squad' (2021) and 'Peacemaker' (2022). With the recent release and success of 'Gaogael3,' he has ultimately been recognized for his 'comic brutal B-grade sensibility,' which he has persistently pursued since he was 12 years old, as a distinct genre.

In August 2018, James Gunn became embroiled in controversy over past tweets that appeared to defend and trivialize pedophilia and sexual violence. As a result, he was fired from his director position at Disney Studios at the time. However, Disney reinstated him as director in March 2019 and assigned him to produce 'Suicide Squad 2.' In October last year, James Gunn was appointed CEO of DC Studios, overseeing the production of all DC films and content.