Marvel Studios’Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesssits atop the weekend domestic box office after a $187 million debut weekend. The Sam Raimi-directed film surpassed Disney’s original $185 million weekend projection, posting the year’s best opening weekend performance.The Batmanpreviously held the title, earning $134 million in its domestic debut.
TheDoctor Strangesequel saw the long-awaited return of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, reprising their roles from the 2016 Marvel Studios film. New additions to theMultiverse of Madnesscast included Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch. The time-bending project also marked a return to the genre for director Raimi, who directed the groundbreaking Tobey Maguire-ledSpider-Mantrilogy in the early 2000s.
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Per Deadline,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessstartedthe weekend well, generating $90 million by the end of its opening night this past Friday. The film’s box office numbers dipped slightly throughout Saturday but still managed to end the night with a solid $57.5 million outing. The Cumberbatch-led film earned $39 million on Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $187 million. Globally, the film earned $450 million, adding in $265 million from the international box office.
The sequels opening weekend performance marked a proverbial return for Marvel Studios, whose last two debuts exceeded $100 million domestically. BeforeSpider-Man: No Way Homeposted a $260 million opening, Marvel Studios struggled to cross the $100 million thresholds with projects such asBlack Widow,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, andEternals. The drop in audience attendance undoubtedly impacted the films due to the pandemic, but the mediocre box office performances were not synonymous with the Marvel Studios brand.
Things, however, seem to be falling back into form as the newest Marvel Studios film has completely taken over the domestic box office. After two solid weeks in first place, the Universal and DreamWorks' animated filmThe Bad Guysfell from its coveted top spot, earning $9.77 million to close out the weekend.Sonic the Hedgehog 2came in third place with a $6.2 million total, followed byFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbeldore, which earned $3.95 million. Finally, A24’s filmEverything Everywhere All At Oncerounded out the top five, generating $3.3 million to end its seventh weekend in theaters.
The reception forMultiverse of Madnesswas pretty mixed across the board, but the uneven nature of opinions did not dissuade audiences from immersing themselves in the chaos of the adventure. The project earned a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics while receiving an 87% audience rating. The differing experiences are pretty evident, but the enjoyment of the MCU is enough to bring audiences into theaters. It’ll be interesting to see how longtheDoctor Strangesequelcan maintain its hold on the box office before the next significant cinematic experience arrives.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis currently playing in theaters.
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