Six winners from this summer

Summer movie box office totals in the U. S. and Canada were the lowest since 2006 at less than US$4 billion, but international sales remained steady by comparison. For some films, that was the only good news. For instance, Tom Cruise’s poorly reviewed The

1. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

In the new millennium, the James Gunn-directed Guardians sequel joins 22 Jump Street and The Dark Knight as the second film in a series that did better at the box office than the first one. The first Guardians was a 2014 surprise hit, scoring US$770 million worldwide, while this summer’s follow up is going strong at close to $863 million.

Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill leads the way again but he continues to have able assistance from the bantering gang of misfits; Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot offshoot Baby Groot (again voiced by Vin Diesel).

Helping is another golden oldie soundtrack which includes Electric Light Orchestra’s Mr. Blue Sky, Sweet’s Fox on the Run and Looking Glass’s Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) which counts as an “earworm” tune matching Blue Swede’s Hooked on a Feeling from the first Guardians.

Of course, a third Guardians picture is in the works and Gunn has already hinted that Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar might return alongside fellow Ravagers, including Aleta Ogord (Michelle Yeoh), Charlie-27 (Ving Rhames), and Mainframe (voiced by Miley Cyrus).

2. WONDER WOMAN

Most critics and discerning fans agreed that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was a stand out in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Starring in a standalone is something else. For the DC Comics super heroine, it’s mission accomplished.

The origins movie has so far pulled in more than US$800 million worldwide thanks to great reviews. Zealots didn’t even mind the backdrop switch to the First World War. Mind you, in the latest Wonder Woman cinematic version, she’s still a godlike champion of doing the right thing replete with sword, shield, power bracelets and the trademark lasso of truth.

The powerhouse Amazonian presence — she’s the daughter of Zeus after all — will appear in November’s DC superhero all-star extravaganza Justice League. The Wonder Woman sequel should begin filming next year for a release in December of 2019.

3. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

Studios co-operating is usually an oxymoron but Disney’s Marvel and Sony can provide millions of reasons why their collaboration worked with Marvel producing the superhero reboot and Sony distributing the production.

So far, the film has raked in more than $728 million globally — and still counting in more ways than one film. For instance, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will reenlist with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man for Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. That’s the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy crossover extravaganza set to open in May of 2018. The second Spider-Man should start filming by the spring of 2018 in preparation for a 2019 release.

4. DESPICABLE ME 3 AND 5. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

Two box-office gifts that keep on giving.

Thanks, again, to strong foreign sales (more than 73 per cent) the third Despicable Me cartoon, costarring many Minions, attracted a whopping US$952 million as Steve Carell’s Gru teams up with twin brother Dru for a heist. Against all odds, 3 nearly equals 2’s box office and comes close to the original’s US$1.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the fifth Pirates fantasy adventure set sail into a sea of negative reviews but Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack continues his broad comedy reach. Despite the naysayers the movie received a decent box office bounty of US$780 million. Whether there will be another is anybody’s guess. A fourth Despicable Me will arrive sooner.

6. DUNKIRK

Christopher Nolan’s obsession with the evacuation of desperate British and French troops at Dunkirk, France, during the early days of the Second World War tested the filmmaker just as reinventing The Dark Knight had. The difference is that this time not many outside of Britain, Canada and the rest of the Commonwealth, knew about Dunkirk.

Despite that, great reviews and strong word of mouth, has Dunkirk inching by the $400 million mark world wide on the strength of defining “communal heroism” when nearly 350,000 soldiers are saved by a flotilla of commercial boats and leisure craft sent from England.

Even the acting debut of Harry Styles in the production can’t over-shadow Nolan’s intense war story.

The Minions make money — a lot of it. The little yellow fellows’ third trip to the big screen brought in almost $1 billion.

Sony and Marvel teamed up to make Spider-Man: Homecoming. It paid off as the superhero movie made more than $720 million.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 topped the original at the box office with revenues of more than $860 million.

Gil Gadot’s Wonder Woman, left, made $800 million at the global box office. Meanwhile, despite poor reviews, the return of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, right, in Dead Men Tell No Tales raked in $780 million.

On a more serious note, the well-reviewed and intense movie Dunkirk was also a box-office hit with a total of nearly $400 million.