Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) writer and director James Gunn stated in November 2014 that, in addition to having the "basic story" for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) while working on the first film, he also had ideas for a potential third film.[68] Despite this, he was unsure in June 2015 if he would be involved with a third Guardians film, saying that it would depend on how he felt after making Vol. 2.[69] In April 2016, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the producer of the Guardians films, said a third film was planned for the franchise as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in "2020 and beyond".[70] In March 2017, Gunn said there would be a third film "for sure. We're trying to figure it out",[71] soon adding that there were no specific plans for the film yet, but that Marvel would want to make it "unless something goes horribly—which is always possible, you never know".[72] He also reiterated that he had not decided whether he would be directing the film, and that he was going to figure out his involvement and his next project "over the next couple of weeks".[71] Part of Gunn's reluctance to return to the franchise came from not wanting to work on it without Michael Rooker, whose character from the first two films, Yondu Udonta, died at the end of Vol. 2.[73]

Gunn announced in April 2017 that he would return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He said the film would be set after Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and would "conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond".[74] He also felt that the three Guardians films would "work together as a whole", telling one story,[75] with the third film "tying a lot of stuff together" from the first two and giving "a lot of answers on a lot of different things".[76] Gunn also planned to work with Marvel on the future of the "Marvel Cosmic Universe".[74] He was set to begin work on Vol. 3 shortly after completing his work as executive producer and consultant on Infinity War.[77] On returning for the third film, Gunn said, "I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't have a fairly clear idea of where we were going and what we were going to do. I'm not a guy that's just going to do it if I don't have a vision for it".[75]

After originally including Adam Warlock in his script treatment for Vol. 2, Gunn and Feige noted the importance of the character on the cosmic side of the MCU and hinted that he would make an appearance in Vol. 3.[78] In May 2017, after the release of Vol. 2, Gunn said he would be creating the third film "over the next three years",[79] and confirmed that Pom Klementieff would reprise her role as Mantis.[17][80] He also intended to have Elizabeth Debicki reprise her role as Ayesha.[81] By mid-June, Gunn had completed the first draft of his script treatment for the third film, and was considering changing a piece of character info he had placed in the background of the mugshot sequence in the first film (when the Guardians are captured by the Nova Corps).[82] In September, Gunn reiterated that Vol. 3 would be released "in a little under three years",[83] as the film had privately been set for release on May 1, 2020.[84] At the end of February 2018, Gunn planned to meet with Mark Hamill about possibly appearing in the film.[85] In April, Chris Pratt was set to reprise his role as Peter Quill / Star-Lord,[17][86] and the following month, Dave Bautista confirmed that he would reprise his role as Drax the Destroyer.[87] Marvel received the completed first draft of the screenplay from Gunn by the end of June, ahead of the beginning of official pre-production on the film.[88]

On July 20, 2018, Disney and Marvel severed ties with Gunn. This came after conservative commentators, such as Mike Cernovich, began circulating old tweets he had made regarding controversial topics such as rape and pedophilia, and called for his firing.[89][90] The Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn stated, "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him".[89] While not part of the decision to fire Gunn, the Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger supported the "unanimous decision" from the various executives at Marvel and Walt Disney Studios.[91] In response, Gunn said in a series of tweets that when he started his career he was "making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo" but felt as he has "developed as a person, so has my work and my humor". He continued, "It's not to say I'm better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it's shocking and trying to get a reaction are over". In a separate statement, Gunn said the tweets at the time were "totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative", adding "I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then".[89]

James Gunn, writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In response to the firing, many of the Guardians cast members tweeted support for Gunn. Rooker decided to leave Twitter,[92][93] while fans signed an online petition asking for Gunn to be reinstated which received over 300,000 signatures.[94] The firing also garnered reaction from other Hollywood personalities, such as actress Selma Blair and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait,[93] and inspired opinion pieces on the firing and how it would affect Hollywood from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,[95] and news organizations such as The Hollywood Reporter,[96] Variety,[97] Deadline Hollywood,[98] and Forbes.[99] On July 30, the cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, including Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Klementieff, Rooker, and Karen Gillan, issued a statement in support of James Gunn, saying, "We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time, we've been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3 as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him".[94] Despite this and the notable "vociferous support" Gunn received, Variety reported that Disney was not planning to rehire him as the jokes were "unacceptable in the #MeToo era and are not in line with Disney's family-friendly image". Variety continued that, despite rumors of Gunn being replaced by established Marvel directors such as Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, or the Russo brothers, Marvel had yet to meet with any other director, and would most likely hire someone new.[100] In early August, Bautista said that he would fulfill his contract and appear in the film as long as Marvel chose to use Gunn's existing script.[101]

Disney and Marvel still wanted to "move forward quickly" on the film,[102] and were soon confirmed to be keeping Gunn's script. This, combined with the fact that Gunn did not breach his contract since the tweets were written years before he signed on to the film, had led to "complicated negotiations" between Gunn and Disney over his exit settlement. Gunn was expected to be paid $7–10 million or more, and there was some hope that the negotiations could lead to him eventually returning in some capacity, "even if [it was] to develop and direct another Marvel movie". Gunn would be free to move on to new projects following the settlement, and other major studios were interested in hiring him including Warner Bros. for their rival superhero franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).[103] During this time, executives at Marvel Studios began "back channel conversations" with Disney in an attempt to find a compromise that could lead to Gunn returning to the film in some way. This "eleventh-hour" effort from Marvel was inspired by the statements from the film's cast.[102] In mid-August, Gunn met with Horn following a strong push from Gunn's talent agency for him to be given a second chance. Despite this and the reported "civil and professional" nature of the meeting, Horn only took it as a courtesy and used it to reaffirm Disney's decision to fire Gunn.[104]

Later in August, the small crew that was preparing for pre-production were dismissed as production of the film was postponed so Marvel and Disney could find a director to replace Gunn.[105] Pre-production was to have begun by the end of 2018, with principal photography set for January or February 2019.[105][106] At this time, Bautista was unsure if he would return for the film, as he did not know if he would "want to work for Disney" given how they handled the firing of Gunn.[107] In late September, James Gunn's brother Sean, who played Kraglin Obfonteri and provided motion capture for Rocket in the previous Guardians films, reiterated that Disney still intended on making the film with James's script, but had not revealed to the cast when production may continue. Sean added that he had been preparing to reprise his roles for the third film before his brother's firing.[25] At the end of the month, Cooper was asked if he would consider directing Vol. 3 after the success of his directorial debut A Star Is Born (2018), but said that he "could never imagine" directing a film that he did not write.[108] By mid-October, James Gunn had completed his exit settlement with Disney and was set to write and potentially direct The Suicide Squad (2021) for Warner Bros / DC Films.[109]

The day after Gunn joined The Suicide Squad in mid-October 2018, he was privately notified by Horn that he could return as director for Vol. 3. This came after further meetings between the studios and Gunn. Horn had changed his mind after being impressed by Gunn's response to the situation.[110][111] Gunn discussed his commitments to The Suicide Squad with Feige,[110] and production on Vol. 3 was put on hold until February 2021 to allow Gunn to complete The Suicide Squad first.[111][112][113] In December, after working with Marvel Studios on the script for Ant-Man (2015), Adam McKay said he was willing to work with the studio again and stated that he had discussed taking over as director for Vol. 3 with Feige, among other projects.[114] In early 2019, Feige and Pratt reiterated that Marvel would still make Vol. 3,[115][116] and in March 2019, Gunn was publicly revealed to have been rehired as director of the film. Deadline Hollywood stated that Marvel Studios had "never met with or considered any other director" for the film.[111] By the end of April, the franchise's five main stars—Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Cooper, and Diesel—were all expected to return for the sequel, with filming to take place in 2020.[6]

Discussing his firing and re-hiring in May 2019, Gunn said that of all the elements of the film that he had been sad to leave when he was fired, the most meaningful to him was the character of Rocket. Gunn personally identifies with Rocket, describing himself and the character as "the same".[19] He had actually grown to love the character since working on the first film due to feeling that an origin story for Rocket could justify what a Bugs Bunny-like "goofy character" like him could exist in the MCU if it were the saddest one in the universe, crediting it as the "seed" of the trilogy. While Vol. 3 effectively reveals Rocket's backstory through flashbacks akin to those from the story structure of The Godfather Part II (1974), Gunn initially considered to tell Rocket's origins in a team-up movie between him and Groot without the other Guardians, but ultimately felt that he had to conclude Peter Quill's story first and then focus on Rocket in a third Guardians-centric film.[117] That month, Gillan confirmed that she was returning for the sequel and expressed excitement for Gunn's return to the franchise.[14] In June, Saldaña was asked about her role in the film after her character Gamora was killed in Infinity War, and she returned to play a younger version in Endgame who travels through time to the present. Saldaña said that Gamora's fate would depend on the plans that Marvel and Gunn have for Vol. 3, but that she would like to see Gamora rejoin the Guardians and also be portrayed as "the most lethal woman in the galaxy" as she has been referred to previously.[8] Gunn was asked in October if he was unhappy about Marvel's decision to kill Gamora in Infinity War and said he was not, adding that he had discussed the storyline with the studio beforehand.[118] According to Infinity War and Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Gamora was brought back in Endgame specifically so that Gunn could include her in Vol. 3,[9] so Gunn found no complications over writing her character arc in Vol. 3 due to having been told in advance.[119] In December, Gunn was asked if he would have Yondu return in the film and said as long as he was involved with the Guardians characters, he would not have the character be resurrected. Gunn felt the stakes of a character's death were important and said characters who die in his films would likely remain dead.[120] Gunn said in February 2020 that bringing Yondu back to life would "nullify Yondu's sacrifice" in Vol. 2, and said the character would not return unless it was for a prequel or flashback;[121] Gunn later said Yondu would not be resurrected in the film to not diminish his death's meaning.[122] In April, Gunn said the COVID-19 pandemic would not affect production plans for the film at that time,[123] saying the next month that the film would be released "a little after 2021".[84]

In August 2020, Gunn turned in a new draft of the film's script and began writing a spin-off television series from The Suicide Squad titled Peacemaker (2022).[124] A month later, he was planning to begin work on Vol. 3 in 2021 after completing that film and series.[125] He confirmed in November that the script for Vol. 3 was finished,[126] and said that very little had changed from his initial ideas despite the production setbacks.[127] The film was given a 2023 release date a month later,[128] with filming set to begin in late 2021.[127][129] Shortly after, it was revealed to also be set after The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).[130]

Pre-production work creating the designs and visuals for the film began by April 2021.[131] In early May, Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released on May 5, 2023.[132] Later that month, Gunn said Vol. 3 would take place after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), which features several Guardians characters.[133] That film concludes the storyline established in Endgame which sees Thor journey off with the Guardians. Gunn noted this ending was decided upon "in editing" and conflicted with his already-submitted screenplay for Vol. 3, since he never planned to feature Thor in the film.[134] Gunn had begun storyboarding the film by June,[135] with filming later revealed to begin in November 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia for an expected end around April 2022.[136][137][138] By then, Bautista said he had not read a script for Vol. 3 and was unsure if it had changed during the production delays.[136] The next month, Gillan said that she and Klementieff had read the script together and she found it to be incredible, brilliant, emotional and funny. She also felt it was Gunn's "strongest work yet" with the Guardians characters.[139] Gunn reiterated that the script had "basically stayed the same" from three years prior but he had been "playing with it in little ways" over the years. He was in the middle of another draft by the end of the month and said the film would be emotional and have a "heavier" story than the previous films,[138][140] with a more grounded approach that was inspired by The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.[141] An early option Gunn had in mind for the character who would become the film's main villain and be revealed to be the one who created Rocket was the Fantastic Four villain Annihilus, but Gunn ultimately opted to fill that role with the High Evolutionary.[142] Gunn originally wrote a cameo appearance for Kumail Nanjiani, a friend of his, but removed this after learning Nanjiani was cast as Kingo in Marvel Studios' Eternals (2021).[143]

By late August, Gunn and Marvel Studios began meeting with actors for the role of Adam Warlock, including Will Poulter. George MacKay was also on the shortlist and Regé-Jean Page was considered for the part.[22][144] Poulter auditioned for the role over Zoom before an in-person screen test with Gunn in Atlanta.[145] When first auditioning for Warlock, Poulter was unaware of who his character's name was other than he had been teased at the post-credits scene of Vol. 2, but Marvel just described the role to him as "an untitled character" until Poulter was "drip-fed" with more information over and over until discovering how steeped Adam Warlock is in the source material.[146] In September, Gillan reiterated her positive comments about the script and said the film would explore the characters from the previous Guardians films on a deeper level,[147] while Seth Green, who voices Howard the Duck in the MCU, said the film would be about Gamora and Nebula's story. He did not know at that time if Howard would appear after doing so in the previous Guardians films.[148] Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock in October,[22][144] and Gunn said "dozens of roles" had already been cast.[149] Poulter was chosen for the part because of his dramatic and comedic abilities and because Gunn "wanted somebody who was youthful" and would fit with Marvel Studios' future plans for the character.[23] Casting also took place for various background roles, including aliens and security guards.[150][151] Pratt began rehearsals and camera tests later that month,[152] and a production meeting was held in early November, shortly before the start of filming. Gunn also reiterated his comments on not resurrecting Yondu in the film.[153]

Principal photography began on November 8, 2021,[154] at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[151][155] under the working title Hot Christmas.[113] Henry Braham serves as cinematographer, after doing so for Vol. 2, The Suicide Squad, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.[156] Filming was previously scheduled to begin in January or February 2019 prior to Gunn's firing,[105][106] and then in February 2021,[113] before Gunn began work on Peacemaker.[125] With the start of filming, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he would return as Stakar Ogord from Vol. 2,[37] and Gunn posted a photo of the main cast members which revealed that Chukwudi Iwuji was part of the film following his collaboration with Gunn on Peacemaker.[154][157] Iwuji's screen test for the film was shot on the set of Peacemaker with that series' crew, and Marvel repaid this favor by letting Gunn use the Vol. 3 set and crew to film Ezra Miller's cameo appearance as Barry Allen / The Flash for the Peacemaker season finale.[141]

Production designer Beth Mickle said Gunn chose to mainly use practical effects for Vol. 3 after they did so with their work on The Suicide Squad.[158] In February 2021, Gunn stated the film would be shot using Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology that was developed for the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian,[159] but in October, he said they would not be able to use the technology because the sets were too big,[160] believing they were larger than the sets used on The Suicide Squad.[161] The interior of the Guardians' new ship, the Bowie, was a four-story set.[162] Judianna Makovsky serves as costume designer.[163] The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was filmed at the same time as Vol. 3,[16][164] from February to late April 2022,[165][166] with the same main cast and sets.[130][140][162] Gunn enjoyed being able to switch to filming the special after doing scenes for Vol. 3, given the tonal difference between the two with Vol. 3 being more "emotional",[167] feeling it helped provide a "relief" to the actors as well,[16] and called the Holiday Special shoot easier than Vol. 3.[162] In February 2022, Callie Brand was revealed to appear in the film as an alien.[63] Shooting was also expected to occur in London, England, in late 2021.[168] Vol. 3 is the first MCU film to feature the word "fuck" uncensored; it is spoken by Quill. The dialogue "Open the fucking door" was not scripted, but improvised by Pratt on Gunn's suggestion,[169][170][171] though there was some consideration over giving the one-liner to Groot instead.[172] Gunn mentioned that the Korean film The Villainess (2017) inspired one of the fight scenes in Vol. 3.[173][174][175] Filming on Vol. 3 wrapped on May 6, 2022.[176]

In early June 2022, Daniela Melchior was revealed to have a small role in the film, after previously starring in The Suicide Squad. Debicki was also confirmed to be reprising her role as Ayesha,[38] while Maria Bakalova and Nico Santos were also revealed to be appearing in the film.[177][178] In July, Iwuji and Bakalova were revealed to be portraying the High Evolutionary and Cosmo the Spacedog, respectively.[46] Cosmo was physically portrayed by dog actor Fred in the first two Guardians films,[49][50] and Slate in the Holiday Special and Vol. 3.[45][48] The following month, Michael Rosenbaum revealed that he had reprised his role as Martinex from Vol. 2 in the film.[39] In October 2022, it was revealed that Bakalova would portray Cosmo in the Holiday Special ahead of her role in Vol. 3.[179] In February 2023, Asim Chaudhry revealed he would appear in the film in an undisclosed role.[180] In April 2023, Linda Cardellini was revealed to be voicing Lylla; she previously appeared in multiple MCU projects as Laura Barton, and starred as Velma Dinkley in the Gunn-written films Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), as well as a cameo in the Gunn-written and directed Super (2010).[34] Two days of reshoots occurred.[20] In late April, Tara Strong revealed that she was cast in an undisclosed role.[51] Strong was later revealed to have been cast as Mainframe, replacing Miley Cyrus from Vol. 2 due to Cyrus' unavailability.[181]

The visual effects were provided by Framestore, Weta FX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Rodeo FX, Rise FX, Crafty Apes, BUF, Lola VFX, Perception, and Compuhire.[182] Stephane Ceretti returns from the first film to serve as the visual effects supervisor,[183] while Fred Raskin returns from the first two films to serve as the editor,[184] alongside Greg D'Auria, who returns from the Holiday Special.[185] Additional editing was provided by Tatiana S. Riegel.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had an early screening at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on April 19, 2023.[207] The film premiered at Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023,[208][209] and its North American premiere was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on April 27.[210] The film was released in several countries including the United Kingdom on May 3, 2023, and in the United States on May 5.[211][212][213][214] It was previously set for release on May 1, 2020,[84] before it was dropped from that date.[215] It is part of Phase Five of the MCU.[46] It was released in 3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, and ScreenX.[216]

Disney released over 600 unique versions of the film to theaters, including a version with variable aspect ratios. Forty-five minutes of the film was presented in the flat 1.85:1 aspect ratio, while the rest of the film is in the 2.39:1 letterboxed aspect ratio.[217]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on digital download on July 7, 2023; on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 1;[218] and on Disney+ on August 2,[219] where an IMAX Enhanced version was also available.[220] The film was the final physical media release for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in Australia, as they decided to discontinue selling their films on physical home media there.[221]

As of September 10, 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has grossed $359 million in the United States and Canada, and $486.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $845.6 million.[3][4]

In the US and Canada, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was projected to gross around $110 million from 4,450 theaters in its opening weekend.[207] The film made $48.2 million on its first day,[222] including $17.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut with $118.4 million, topping the box office.[223] In its second weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 retained the top spot at the box office with $62 million,[224][225][226] a 48% decline from its opening weekend and the best second-weekend hold of any sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a notably smaller second-weekend decline than those of the franchise's recent releases, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%), Thor: Love and Thunder (68%), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%).[226][227] The film made $32 million in its third weekend, being dethroned by Fast X.[228]

Outside the US and Canada, the film grossed $168.1 million in its opening weekend.[229] In its second weekend, the film grossed $92 million for a drop of 40% from its opening weekend. As of May 27, 2023, the highest grossing territories were China ($77.4 million), the United Kingdom ($36 million), Mexico ($30.8 million), South Korea ($26.7 million), and France ($24.3 million).[230]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 82% based on 400 reviews with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A galactic group hug that might squeeze a little too tight on the heartstrings, the final Guardians of the Galaxy is a loving last hurrah for the MCU's most ragtag family."[231] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 63 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[232] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same as the previous two Guardians films, while PostTrak reported that moviegoers gave the film a 91% positive score, with 79% saying they would definitely recommend it.[223]

The Independent found it was "the best Marvel movie in years"[233] as did Vox[234] and the CBC.[235] In mixed reviews, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian[236] and Nicholas Barber of the BBC agreed the film was overlong, Barber opining that "the film's saving grace is that, just as Gunn has been allowed to unleash his gonzo imagination, he has also been allowed to pour out his emotions."[237] Wendy Ide of The Observer lauded the films for its emotional weight and deemed it a satisfying conclusion, stating that "What elevates Vol 3 (supposedly the final film in the GOTG series) is the way it keeps that personality, nodding to the irreverent swagger that is a crucial component of the Guardians USP while delivering a series of devastating emotional sucker punches along the way."[238] Matt Singer from ScreenCrush praised the film for concluding Rocket's arc story stating that "a character tells Rocket that the events unfolding onscreen have been his story all along — and with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it does feel like Marvel has spent $200 million on a movie about a melancholy space raccoon looking for love and acceptance."[239] Writing for The Verge, Charles Pulliam-Moore praised the film's action sequences and storyline and commented that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tells the action-packed, flashback-filled story of how Rocket Raccoon's (Bradley Cooper) life being gravely endangered gives the rest of the Guardians a reason to come together and really start working on some of the emotional issues that've been haunting them since Endgame."[240] The Hindustan Times praised Gunn's direction and writing, commenting that "As James Gunn concludes his journey with these characters he clearly cares so deeply about, you can't help but reflect on your own. Walking out, I had my own little flashback montage playing in my head of all the adventures we've been on and foes we've faced with this lovable group of galaxy-saving idiots."[241] Nathan Durr of CBS News praised the film's soundtrack and stated that "There's no exception here regarding the soundtrack as Gunn and company cleverly implement songs that add weight to the complexities and emotions of the characters."[242]

A negative review from NPR criticized the approach of cruelty to animals in the film[243] while The New York Times called it a "dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film (that) may only be for completionist fans",[244] and the Chicago Tribune, "the most empty, brutal MCU movie yet".[245] Conversely, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) declared the film to be "the best animal rights film of the year", and gave Gunn a "Not a Number Award" for his depiction of animal testing.[246]

Cynthia Blondelle and Heather Kreamer were nominated at the 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for Best Music Supervision in a Trailer – Film.[247] Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 received nominations for Best Fantasy Adventure, Best Summer 2023 Blockbuster Trailer, and Best Teaser at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards.[248][249] The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 6th Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards.[250]