Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ big opening weekend

If there was any doubt that audiences would be returning to the movies, the box office report from this past weekend — which saw the opening of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — eliminated those doubts altogether. Not only did the Doctor Strange sequel eclipse the 2016 original film’s opening of $85.1 million, the sequel more than doubled that amount. Box office reports show that it earned upwards of $185 million over three days and is sure to reach the $200 million mark pretty quickly. The film took in $90 million (domestically) on Friday, making it the 7th biggest opening day of all time.

Interestingly enough, Multiverse of Madness has had the third-highest opening weekend haul for a so-called “solo” film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Black Panther and last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Multiverse of Madness haul gives it the 11th-best opening (of all time) in North America. Also, perhaps because the pandemic has slowed and also because the film is only being released in theatres, it has far outpaced 2021’s other Marvel films (Black Widow, Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings, and The Eternals). Multiverse of Madness replaced The Batman ($134 million) as the biggest opening so far in 2022, and will most likely hit the $1 billion mark, despite not airing in Russia, China, and parts of the Middle East.

What Does This Mean For Doctor Strange in the Future?

If this past weekend’s box office is any indication, moviegoers have yet to tire of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange and the MCU in general. As many Marvel films do, this one ends on a cliffhanger, with the possibility of a third Doctor Strange outing. However, reactions to the film have been mixed, and it received the second-lowest CinemaScore in the MCU as of yet (a B+, which is still very good). Also, its Rotten Tomatoes score currently sits at 75%, which is considerably lower than the average for Marvel (84%).

Regardless of the varied critical and fan reactions to the film itself, star Cumberbatch would be willing to star in a third Doctor Strange film, as Multiverse of Madness sets up the character “for a really exciting future.” He recently told USA Today he would continue as the character, as long as he was “interesting and challenging and doing fantastic things.” There were six years — and three other MCU films — in between the first Doctor Strange and its sequel, so there’s hope it won’t take nearly that long for a third to be released.

What Does This Mean For the Future of Cinema?

With the pandemic pushing many films to stream and theatrical releases getting delayed, it’s easy to see why many in the industry were concerned about the future of cinema: would people still be willing to pay to go to the cinema? And, as it turns out, they are. Exhibitor Relations box office analyst Jeff Bock says that Multiverse of Madness‘ success is a “strong indicator that this summer’s box office will be operating on all cylinders.” This is not only because many movie lovers want to see big studio films in the theatre, but also because, for example, Multiverse of Madness is currently playing in more than 4,500 theatres. In addition, after the announcement of a teaser for Avatar: The Way of Water before the new Marvel film, anticipation was even higher.