As "Guardians of the Galaxy" celebrated its first year anniversary, its director James Gunn wrote a heartfelt letter to fans, thanking them not only for their support for the film and its characters, but also for inspiring him to create even more wonderful worlds.
"The movie massively over-performed that weekend, even by our own expectations, but what meant more to me is how much so many of you, no matter where you were from, took the story and the characters into your hearts," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Fans particularly loved the character of Groot, who gave up his own life in order to save his friends. Throughout the movie, all Groot can say is "I am Groot," and in the end, when asked by Rocket Racoon why he would sacrifice himself, he answered, "We are Groot," which in his own words meant "We are family." And that is exactly how Gunn feels towards his fans.
"What meant more to me is that 'We are Groot' became a rallying cry for unity among friends and families. What meant more to me is that in our tenth week we were out-performing any comic book film in recent history - not because of the money, but because people were going back to see the film a second, third, fourth, fifth time, or more, because they loved it," he said.
Because of "Guardians of the Galaxy," he felt like he and the audience were "at the same place at the same time," and he has not felt the same way with other movies despite "a lifetime of telling stories and half a lifetime making movies."
Gunn added that he told the story of "Guardians of the Galaxy" with all of his heart, and he is very happy that this is exactly what fans felt while watching it. He might have encountered a lot of failures in his life, but hearing people say, "You made me believe in movies again" makes all of his past frustrations worth the while.
Fans of "Guardians of the Galaxy" also made him believe that he spent his entire life doing the right thing, and they also strengthened his belief that nothing is really worth doing if it is not done in love and honesty.
"On this, the one year anniversary of the cinematic Guardians entering our solar system: thank you, thank you, thank you. We really are, truly, honestly Groot," he concluded.
