Weekend Forecast: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' & 'Get On Up'

The final month of summer kicks off this weekend with Guardians of the Galaxy and Get On Up.

Guardians of the Galaxy

PROS:

- Marvel Studios' box office clout has grown significantly over the past two years since The Avengers' success.
- The off-beat humor and eclectic visuals are drawing moviegoers' attention.
- Online buzz has been impressive since the first trailer's release earlier this year, building to one of the most positively trending films of the year on Twitter and Flixster especially.
- The lack of any major blockbusters this summer has left a certain amount of demand left up for grabs.
- Early reviews have been ecstatic.
- The ensemble cast of up-and-coming names (Chris Pratt), new stars (Zoe Saldana), and crowd favorites (Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper). 

CONS:

- Will the quirk of the film limit it to a niche audience instead of a large mainstream one?
- August films aren't typically known for breaking out to blockbuster numbers, although this looks to change here. 

Get On Up

PROS:

- Legendary singer James Brown boasts multi-generational fans.
- Adults looking for non-popcorn fare could be attracted to this one.
- Comparable past August releases like The Help and Lee Daniels' The Butler found a great deal of success with their late summer counter-programming.

CONS:

- Online buzz has noticeably lacking, even when compared to 42 and Lee Daniels' The Butler.
- Opening against Guardians won't do it any favors with the young adult crowd.
- Will audiences buy into star Chadwick Boseman as James Brown so soon after his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42? 

Check out our complete weekend forecast in the table below.

Phil Contrino, Daniel Garris, Alex Edghill, and Shawn Robbins contributed to this report.