“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” Has Marvel-ous Opening Weekend
Director Sam Raimi has helped deliver Marvel a fantastic start to their 2022 box office and their vaunted Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the second film for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange, conjured a stellar $185 million in its opening weekend, one of the largest domestic openings ever. It’s also the second-best opening in the pandemic era and totaled $450 million globally.
This is exactly the kind of epic opening weekend that Marvel, Walt Disney Studios, theater owners, and Hollywood writ large wanted to see. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows Warner Bros. The Batman has yet another blockbuster bringing in almost pre-pandemic numbers and hopefully augers a continued hot streak as a slew of tentpole movies are set for release. The Batman is currently the highest-grossing domestic release of 2022, with $369.1 million as of now.
With Raimi back in the fold (he directed the original Spider-Man trilogy back in the early aughts, changing the superhero game forever), he helped deliver a dizzy, deliriously rich film that now stands as the 11th biggest domestic launch in history, and the seventh-largest opening for a Marvel film. In The Multiverse of Madness only trails the four Avenger films, Black Panther, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. That’s great company.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened as the top film in all major markets overseas, including a big $30 million in South Korea. The domestic haul included $36 million in Thursday previews and $90 million on Friday alone, the 7th biggest opening day of all time. The film is currently playing in 4,545 theaters, which is the widest location count of the pandemic era and the fifth-biggest of all time. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness pulled in 59 percent of male viewers, with 74 percent of them under the age of 34. The film also did bonkers business on Imax and other premium large-format screens. The Imax numbers were $33 million, a record in May.
After Doctor Strange made such a fateful appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and unleashed the multiverse in an attempt to help his friend Peter Parker, all bets were off. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange is now trying to help a young girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) whose skills include being able to hop across universes. When a demonic force is trying to steal her powers, the good Doctor has to step in. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and even Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) return.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is, of course, in theaters now.
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Featured image: (L-R): Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange and Benedict Wong as Wong in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
