Between writer/director James Gunn’s promise to surpass the Bechdel-Wallace test and producer Kevin Feige’s commitment to providing kids with more Gamora toys, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is shaping up to be one of Marvel Studios’s most inclusive movies. Then again, judging by the unparalleled success of its Super Bowl LI teaser, the sequel to one of Marvel’s most successful non-Avengers franchises to date is bound to please critics and audiences alike when it arrives in theaters on May 5th. Another positive sign: According to the Hollywood Reporter, early test screenings have nabbed the ultra rare score of 100 (out of 100).
Per anonymous “insiders,” THR confirms the “extremely rare if not unprecedented score, saying the movie… bested the previous top Marvel scorers, Iron Man 3 and Avengers, both of which tested in the high 90s out of 100.” On the surface this sounds like fantastic news for film executives and Marvel Cinematic Universe fans alike. Besides, most studios conduct screening tests for major tentpoles and medium-range movies during the months leading up to a picture’s release. Yet as THR cautions, the Marvel process is quite different from its competitors’ methods.
Marvel, however, culls from a more select pool of recruits, what it terms “friends and families screenings.” It’s larger than one might think and still a vigorous testing procedure, not a celebratory reception. It’s one way for Marvel to control security and prevent leaks of either plot spoilers or footage from getting out. And it’s a process Marvel has employed since the first Iron Man.
In other words, those with closer-than-playing-six-degrees-of-separation ties to Marvel Studios and its many projects — “friends and families” — are the ones responsible for providing every MCU entry with its scores. As a result, the “testing process is not as random as other studio procedures,” meaning the Guardians sequel’s score isn’t necessarily comparable to those garnered by test screenings for non-Marvel movies.
Then again,THR notes the test screening process isn’t always a good indicator of whether or not a film will be successful at the box office and beyond. Oscar-winners like Black Swan, Forrest Gump and Argo, horror films like The Conjuring, and classic romantic comedies like Pretty Woman all managed to earn a range of scores along the 100-point scale that didn’t necessarily match up with their post-release success. Or as one unnamed producer explains, “It’s a single tool in a whole toolbox arsenal.”
Of course Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has a tiny talking tree voiced by what sounds like Vin Diesel chugging helium, so it’ll probably do just fine come May 5th.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
