Chris Pratt Called Out Haters Who Thought First Movie Will Flop In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3 Farewell Speech

Chris Pratt called out the detractors on the last day of filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 who thought the first movie would bomb.

Pratt first played Star-Lord/Peter Quill, the leader(ish) of a group of star-trekking misfits in the James Gunn-helmed Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in 2014. It later spawned two sequels, 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and next month’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. The Guardians of the Galaxy also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Disney+’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Yes, the GOTG franchise is very successful. But then the IP was a huge gambit for Marvel Studios and Pratt still remembers as if it was yesterday when all the negativity naysayers hurled at them even before the movie came out.

And those comments still hurt, so much so that he dedicated a speech on the last day of the GOTG Vol. 3 set to them. In an interview with Fandango, Pratt — who was joined by co-star Karen Gillan aka Nebula — said,  “I’m not a vindictive person… but I happened to have in my notes file several press clipping saved from the first movie when everyone predicted that Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be Marvel’s first flop.”

“That was the consensus critically. Everyone was saying all of these negative things. At the time, we were insecure and nervous about the prospects…they’re saying it’s a title no one has heard of, we don’t have any A-list stars, [it will be] Marvel’s first failure. I remember all of that.

“Of course none of that came true. We had this great run. At the end, I wanted to read some of those clippings to the cast and crew and to James and to… I guess kind of rub it in a little bit. Just to say we overcame a lot to get to where we are and we weren’t supposed to be where we are but we did something special. Just to bask in the moment of what these last 10 years have been.”

Pratt wasn’t the only one who gave a moving farewell speech, according to director James Gunn.

Gunn told Variety at San Diego Comic-Con in July, “I got teary eyed. But Zoe Saldana gave a speech that just crushed me. I just lost it, like I really cried.”

The filmmaker and DC Studios co-CEO and chairman added: “I’m a big tear guy —I’m not a cry guy, but a tear guy. I get the little tears; I get little tears; I’m sitting with my fiancée and we’re watching some movie and I get teary-eyed all the time. Real easy with the tears, not easy with the cry. But I cried and it was really beautiful.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in cinemas on May 4. Pratt also stars in The Super Mario Bros Movie, out in cinemas on Thursday (Apr 6).

Photos: TPG News/Click Photos