The summer film season began as a blockbuster thanks to the film “Doctor Strange and the Multisworld of Madness.” The superhero extravaganza raised about $ 185 million in first-weekend ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, Walt Disney Co. said.
Not only is it more than twice the opening of the first Dr. Strange, which opened to $ 85 million in 2016, it’s also the biggest start of the year, ahead of $ 134 million at Batman; the second-largest pandemic after Spider-Man: Away from Home, $ 260.1 million; and the sixth largest of all time in the world.
Internationally, it is performing even better with $ 265 million since opening on Wednesday. In total, “Doctor Strange 2” has already earned $ 450 million.
Spider-Man wants to be partially thanked for his massive debut. The powerful sorcerer Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which became the third largest film of all time since its opening in December. “Doctor Strange 2” unfolds a few months after the “No Way Home” event and includes Wanda Maximov Elizabeth Olsen, which has become even more popular thanks to the recent Disney + series “WandaVision”.
The film also has a giant footprint. In the United States and Canada alone, it is shown in 4,534 theaters, which, according to Disney, is the seventh largest show in history. Premium screens, including IMAX and 3D, accounted for 36% of total rental.
Sam Raimi directed “Dr. Strange in the Multiworld of Madness,” which reportedly cost about $ 200 million, although that figure does not take into account the millions spent on marketing and promotion.
Last weekend, the film became a trend on social media, ranging from numerous episodes to a heated debate over the PG-13 rating and whether the horror elements are worth something more limited.
There are few films left that are going to cinemas. This is partly due to the fact that many multiplexes have decided to fill their cinemas with “Dr. Strange” wall-to-wall performances. Film critic Matt Singer tweeted a photo of the Manhattan AMC, which offers 70 screenings only on Thursday.
“Bad Guys” from Universal and DreamWorks Animation dropped to second place in the third weekend with a valuation of $ 9.8 million, and “Sonic Hedgehog 2” from Paramount took third place with $ 6.2 million.
“Fantastic Monsters: Dumbledore’s Secrets” ranked fourth with $ 3.9 million, bringing the total to $ 86 million. And in fifth place was another film on a multi-world theme “Everything is everywhere.” On the seventh weekend it fell slightly, but is still accelerating along with an additional $ 3.3 million from 1,542 screens in the seventh weekend in cinemas. The A24 film grossed $ 41.6 million.
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Follow AP film writer Lindsay Bar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
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