LOS ANGELES -- Doctor Strange and his multiverse got to linger a little longer atop the weekend box office as Tom Cruise and “Top Gun” wait in the wings.Marvel's “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” was the top-earning film of the weekend for the third straight week, bringing in $31.6 million in 4,534 North American theaters, according to studio estimates released Sunday.“Downtown Abbey: A New Era” made a strong opening showing for Focus Features with $16 million from 3,820 theaters, but there was no real blockbuster competition for “Doctor Strange."That will change with the long awaited, and long delayed, release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel that arrives next week on Memorial Day weekend, 36 years after the original smash hit and cultural landmark.It flies in amid sky-high hype.Cruise had the film festival in Cannes, France, abuzz on Wednesday with a whirlwind appearance for the film's European premiere that included a fly over of French fighter jets and an honorary Palme d’Or award.But while the world waits, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” crossed the $800 million mark in global grosses, surpassing “The Batman” to become the top-grossing film of the year.Released by the Walt Disney Co. and directed by Sam Raimi, “ Doctor Strange 2 ” benefitted from being the first Marvel movie to follow “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” in which Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer played a pivotal role.It also builds upon the popular Disney+ series “Wandavision” and contains a number of cameos that fans didn’t want to be spoiled.Holdover family films “The Bad Guys” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” took the third and fourth spots.
Review: 'Doctor Strange 2’ gets weirder, scarier, messier
05.05.2022 - 18:57 / abcnews.go.com
Marvel movies, practically demands it. And for the moment that means a lot of cameo opportunities.
“ Spider-Man: No Way Home ” opened the door to the concept, to mostly charming results, but now Benedict Cumberbatch’s master of the mystic arts is flying through the interdimensional portal with the concept in “ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”This film is technically the sequel to “Doctor Strange,” a movie that came out six years ago. But so much has happened in Marvel land that involves Stephen Strange and his goatee — "Infinity War," “Endgame” and, yes, the most recent “Spider-Man” — that where it falls in the “Doctor Strange” standalone film continuity is entirely beside the point.
One could not simply watch “Doctor Strange” and then “Doctor Strange 2” and expect it to make sense.Not only that, understanding, or at least being invested in “Doctor Strange 2,” also requires some passing knowledge of “WandaVision,” the nine-episode Disney+ series that runs almost six hours total. This is not a surprise or a burden to Marvel fans, but it does seem like quite a lot to ask of the average moviegoer (though perhaps at this point they’re one and the same).So it’s especially interesting that Sam Raimi agreed to jump into this messy corporate multiverse at this point.
His “Spider-Man” movies are still among the top of the crop of modern superhero franchises, after all. Raimi was able to put his own stamp on this endeavor, including but not limited to a Bruce Campbell cameo.
There are horror elements, too, some so intense that families might think twice before bringing everyone to the multiplex, some interesting visuals not entirely dissimilar to the city-bending of “Inception” and some humor. But Raimi doesn’t take
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‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ Enters $800M+ Dimension WW – International Box Office
Refresh for latest…: Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness crossed $800M globally this weekend, now with $803.2M after three frames. Of that $342.1M is from domestic and $461.1M from the international box office. The offshore drop was 53% with $40M from 49 markets.
‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ Rings Up $688M Global After Two Weekends; How High Can Cloak & Swagger Go? – International Box Office
Refresh for latest…: Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is approaching $700M globally after two weekends. The worldwide cume through Sunday is now an estimated $688.1M, including $291.9M domestic and $396.2M from the international box office. The latter number will shortly pass The Batman to become the biggest overseas release of 2022.
Box Office: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Second Weekend Set to Put Out ‘Firestarter’
J. Kim Murphy The sorcerer continues to reign supreme in North America’s multiplexes of madness.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ to Add $60 Million-Plus in 2nd Box Office Weekend
That would be a somewhat larger second weekend drop from its $187 million opening weekend than MCU films like “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which had similar opening weekends and topped $70 million in their second frame. Still, Sam Raimi’s MCU film is close to joining “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Batman” as only the third film of the COVID era to earn over $300 million at the global box office, and will also pass $600 million in global grosses this weekend.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer on the Illuminati Lineup, Making a Marvel Horror Movie and That Minotaur
“Doctor Strange 2” screenwriter Michael Waldron knows a thing or two about the multiverse. He first burst onto the scene as a writer on the beloved animated series “Rick and Morty” and was in line to become the show’s new showrunner, that is until Marvel Studios came calling asking if he wanted to head up a live-action TV show about Tom Hiddleston’s trickster villain Loki.It was while working on the Disney+ series “Loki” that Waldron was offered the opportunity to take a crack at a few different things all in one project: Marvel’s first horror movie, a Sam Raimi movie and a “Doctor Strange” sequel.
![‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness’: Writer Michael Waldron Talks Wanda’s Twist, The Illuminati, Charlize Theron & More [The Discourse Podcast] - theplaylist.net](https://popstar.one/storage/thumbs_400/site_images/big-photo.jpg "‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness’: Writer Michael Waldron Talks Wanda’s Twist, The Illuminati, Charlize Theron & More [The Discourse Podcast] - theplaylist.net")
‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness’: Writer Michael Waldron Talks Wanda’s Twist, The Illuminati, Charlize Theron & More [The Discourse Podcast]
There’s no denying it. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is a bonafide hit with fans and at the box office – as if anyone had any doubt in the Marvel machine continuing to rake in money.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer Explains Wanda’s Controversial Arc: ‘It Was There for the Taking’
(Warning: This post features spoilers for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”Fresh off a massive opening weekend box office, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is proving to be one of the more divisive Marvel movies in recent memory. Fans seem to be split over the decision to peg Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff as the antagonist in the sequel – a fact that was obscured in the marketing, but one many expected given the character’s transformation into the Scarlet Witch in the comics.But the shift from hero to antagonist proved difficult for some fans to swallow coming off the character’s deeply empathetic portrayal in “WandaVision,” which explored how her grief over Vision’s death manifested in holding an entire town hostage.
Rachel McAdams on Dr. Christine Palmer’s Life Since ‘Doctor Strange’ and Why Returning to Marvel Felt ‘Great’
Angelique Jackson It’d been six years since Rachel McAdams scrubbed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Christine Palmer, the will they-or-won’t they love interest of Benedict Cumberbatch’s title hero “Doctor Strange.” But while Cumberbatch went on to join the Avengers in their fight against Thanos in the Infinity Saga, McAdams has been MIA since 2016.In 2021, though, the Oscar-nominee reprised her role as Christine for the heart wrenching Doctor Strange-centric episode of “What If?” on Disney Plus, but that was a voiceover role. McAdams still seemed like a no-go for the live action sequel.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Opens to $265 Million at International Box Office, Flies Past $450 Million Globally
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the newest timeline-altering tentpole in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, captured a huge $265 million in its international box office debut.Those mighty ticket sales represent the second-biggest opening weekend overseas in pandemic times. Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” still stands as the highest-grossing COVID-era debut with $340 million internationally.The second “Doctor Strange” film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the goatee-rocking sorcerer, generated $185 million in North America over the weekend, bringing its global tally to a massive $450 million.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ conjures up biggest opening of 2022
The summer movie season is off to a blockbuster start thanks to “ Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” The superhero extravaganza grossed an estimated $185 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, the Walt Disney Co.
Box Office: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Debuts to Heroic $185 Million
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDoctor Strange and his questionably effective book of spells has summoned a blockbuster $185 million at North American movie theaters over the weekend, reaffirming the box office dominance of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe after a shakier, pandemic-battered year for the franchise.The timeline-bending “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” represents a return to form for Disney’s MCU after COVID-era releases “Black Widow” ($80 million debut, plus $60 million on Disney Plus), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” ($75 million debut), and “Eternals” ($71 million debut). Due to the pandemic and other extenuating circumstances, those installments failed to live up to their franchise predecessors in terms of ticket sales.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Conquers Box Office With $185 Million Opening
Though that’s below the $202 million opening that industry estimates had following the MCU film’s $90 million opening day, it is still at the top of the $170-185 million estimate that Disney posted. Globally, “Doctor Strange 2” has earned an opening of $450 million, second only to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” for worldwide openings since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Box Office: ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Summoning 2022’s Biggest Domestic Opening
J. Kim Murphy The doctor is in.
Strange Quiz: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams Play Trivia (Video)
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” goes to some odd places in the course of its runtime, ping-ponging beyond the MCU to places beyond.But it never stops in a game show universe.Thankfully, we corrected that. We asked the film’s stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong and Xochitl Gomez to play a Strange Quiz – a trivia game where every answer has the word “Strange” in it.
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Summons a Jaw-Dropping $200 Million-Plus Box Office Opening
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is now within reach of a benchmark that box office analysts were only whispering about before its release: a $200 million-plus opening. After earning a jaw-dropping $90 million on opening day, including $36 million from Thursday previews, the 28th Marvel Cinematic Universe film is now projected by industry estimates to earn a $202 million weekend launch.
All the surprise cameos in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
WARNING: Major spoilers below for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”Benedict Cumberbatch is back in his wizard cape and costume for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”The sequel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 2016 superhero flick reunites Cumberbatch, 45, with stars Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chiwetel Ejiofor, with Elizabeth Olsen and Xochitl Gomez rounding out the main cast.However, there were many shocking cameos that made fans literally gasp in the movie theater.The film followed Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) as he teams up with America Chavez (Gomez) to stop Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Olsen) throughout several universes.About almost halfway through the two-hour Sam Raimi-directed movie, a medley of characters appear in a series of surprising cameos.WARNING: Stop reading to avoid spoilers.There is one point in the story where Dr.
‘Doctor Strange’ and ‘Thor’ Are Coming Back! Get the Scoop on 10 Must-See Summer Movies
A very marvel-ous season! Nearly five months since the last Marvel Cinematic Universe flick hit the big screen, this summer will have two highly anticipated sequels coming out: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder — and that’s just the tipping point for 2022 movie releases.
Box Office: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Ignites Internationally With $27 Million
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the latest timeline-bending entry in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, has kicked off at the international box office, collecting $27.2 million on opening day.The film is currently playing in 20 overseas markets, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea. “Doctor Strange 2” opens in North America and several other territories on Friday.