Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer Spikes Sales Of Hooked On A Feeling

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

guardians-of-the-galaxy-trailer-logo-header.jpg“Ooga-chaka ooga ooga ooga-chaka!” It’s clear that the biggest thing in science fiction movies this week was the release of the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy. The first look at Marvel Studios’ newest brand of superhero premiered on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live this past Tuesday to millions and millions of viewers. Subsequently, the Internet has entered a strange love affair with Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. While it’s unclear if the current excitement will last and make Guardians of the Galaxy a success at the box office, Marvel Studios is not the only ones enjoying the exposure.

According to Billboard, the song “Hooked on a Feeling,” from Swedish pop band Blue Swede, is experiencing the highest downloads for the pop song ever. While the song is only featured in the Guardians trailer for less than 30 seconds, it has been downloaded more than 2,000 times since the trailer’s release.

The song is a cover of B.J. Thomas’s song from 1968. Blue Swede recorded their version in 1973, and it was released in the United States the following year. “Hooked on a Feeling” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1974 and stayed on the pop charts for 18 consecutive weeks. The last time the song experienced a surge in downloads like this was the week ending March 16, 2008 with more than 1,000 digital sales.

But remember, just because Guardians of the Galaxy seems to be popping up everywhere on the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter, that doesn’t mean it will find success at the box office when it’s released this August. If Internet buzz always equaled high box-office grosses then Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Cowboys & Aliens, Dredd, and Snakes on a Plane would have been box-office giants instead of bombs.

Guardians of the Galaxy‘s success is going to depend on marketing outside of the Internet, like Marvel’s rumored Disney XD Guardians animated series, and how much interest could be spurred with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier this April. It’s likely that the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer will play in front of the Captain America sequel, and it’s also rumored that additional footage from the new comic book movie might be screened before the film as well.

In addition to the trailer, Marvel has released five separate videos, one for each member of the team. One of the videos finally lets us hear Bradley Cooper’s voice for Rocket Raccoon, which is unlike any other iteration of the fan favorite. The studio also released the film’s first teaser poster, featuring the tagline, “You’re Welcome.”

Guardians of the Galaxy is the story of Peter Jason Quill (Christopher Pratt), a half-human, half-alien who is at the center of a galaxy-wide manhunt after he steals a mysterious orb, which is believed to be one of the Infinity Gems. As he tries to escape a space prison, he builds a shaky alliance with a group of misfits and outlaws. When the new team learns about the orb’s true power, they must work together to save the galaxy from Ronan the Accuser and the evil Kree Empire.

Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Benicio del Toro, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Rooker, Olivia Lovibond, John C. Reilly, and Glenn Close, and opens in theaters everywhere on August 1.