Will ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ regain the fallen status of ‘Marvel Republic’?

《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Like an insert scene that magnifies important points in a movie, TenAsia reporter Kang Min-kyung focuses on issues in the film industry. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back of the hot topic from a three-dimensional perspective.

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In Korea, Marvel hero movies have become so popular that the term ‘Marvel Republic (Korea + Marvel)’ has emerged. However, at some point, the status of the ‘Marvel Republic’ fell. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 (hereinafter referred to as Gao Galaxy 3)’ brought out the first Korean card in the team series. Will ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, a team that emphasizes love for Korea, be able to regain its status as the ‘Marvel Republic’?

MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) created the twin legend of 10 million viewers with ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. As Marvel Phase 4 began, the popularity of the once strong hero decreased. Marvel Phase is a grouping of MCU movies and dramas into stages of change such as time. Each phase unfolds as a single story in the same time and space.

Starting with 'Iron Man' and continuing through 'Avengers: Endgame' until Phase 3, the story progressed with the theme of Infinity Stones (Infinity Saga). Phase 4 of the multiverse saga was introduced, from ‘Black Widow’ to ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. Except for 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (7.55 million viewers), the performance was disappointing compared to the past.

Until Marvel Phase 3, the number of works released per year was small, but from Marvel Phase 4, with the launch of Disney Plus, an OTT platform, many works were released. As theater admission fees increased, the number of audiences going to theaters decreased and the number of OTT viewers increased. Although it is easy to access movies and dramas, many works are released within a short period of time, making it difficult to watch works that continue the worldview. The story has become more difficult, and as works with poor quality, such as CG, continue to appear, the audience has become tired. In addition, after the departure of Iron Man and Captain America, it was not possible to find a character that could attract the public's attention and popularity at once.

Is that why? The card that ‘Gao Gal 3’ brought out was a visit to Korea. The main characters of 'Gaogao 3' - Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and director James Gunn - visited Korea for the first time in the series. They chose Korea as the first country for their press conference tour. In 'Gaogael 3', Peter Quill (Chris Pat), who was grieving over the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), joins forces with the Guardians team once again to protect the galaxy and his colleagues in crisis. It tells the story of going on a mission that may be their last if they do not succeed.

Director James Gunn said, "My favorite movies are Korean movies, so I'm happy to come to the home of Korean movies. Arriving in Korea as the first stop of my world tour is meaningful." Chris Pratt also said, "Korea is becoming a leader not only in movies but also in music worldwide. Isn't K-POP famous? Recently, the girl group Blackpink was at Coachella. I also like New Jeans. Korea has many "I think it's the center of eggplant culture. Korea has been culturally good for a long time, but now it's being recognized globally, so it's nice to come to Korea at this time," he said.

In fact, the 'Gaogael' series did not receive much love in Korea. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ had 1.34 million viewers, and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy VOL. 2' only attracted 2.73 million viewers. Marvel movies' performance in Korea ranked among the top box offices around the world. After Marvel Phase 4 began, the nickname “Marvel Republic” became embarrassing. This performance has become important both for Marvel and for ‘Gaogao 3’, the final work in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ series.

Director James Gunn also knew. He said, "'Gaogao 3' was filled with a lot of emotional things. I'm not sure about the future direction of the MCU. I can say that there will be no more 'Gaogao'. Hopefully, more MCU works will come out. “I hope there will be more superhero characters who approach us emotionally.”

Director James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff emphasized their love for Korea. Director Bong Joon-ho mentioned the movies 'Parasite', 'Mother', 'Old Boy', BTS, Blackpink, New Genes, etc. In particular, director James Gunn said emphatically, "I'm a big fan of Korean movies, and I came here because I wanted to come to Korea. Since this is our last movie, I was given one chance, so I decided to come to Korea."

Chris Pratt said, "I made this movie with the intention of giving it as a gift. I hope you see it in theaters, and I'm confident it will become the movie of the year." Director James Gunn also expressed his hope, saying, "It was fun to make. This is a movie I dedicate to you, so I hope you'll see it in theaters." These are the main characters of ‘Gao Gal 3’, which emphasized love for Korea. As their love for Korea spread through social media and online communities, most responded that they would remain loyal. It remains to be seen whether the sincerity of the protagonists of ‘Gaogao 3’ will resonate.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr