Tickets for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness went on sale yesterday, and movie theatre sites around the world crashed as moviegoers raced to claim their tickets. The last time this much anticipation happened over a movie was last November, when Spider-Man: No Way Home brought us back to the days in which sites like Fandango and AMC crashed repeatedly as if filmgoers were attempting to buy tickets for a rock concert.
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With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 surging in late December and early January in the United States and the rest of the world, moviegoing hasn’t been in high demand. Some countries even closed cinemas for a few months, in the hopes of containing the virus, which resulted in many films getting delayed (again) and box office sales not reaching pre-pandemic heights, until The Batman tallied up the second-best pandemic score with a $128 million opening weekend.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Sold More Tickets in Less Time Than Any Other Movie This Year
It was revealed today that pre-sales for Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel broke the 2022 first-day sales record, previously held by Matt Reeves’ The Batman. In a press release, it said that Fandango sold more tickets for the movie than any other 2022 film in 24 hours and brought Fandango’s biggest sales since Spider-Man: No Way Home crashed the site in late November of last year. The exact numbers weren’t revealed, but Fandango said that they saw “staggering numbers of fans reserving their seats, showtimes selling out and theater partners posting new showtimes to meet the fan demand.”
In an era where the theatrical experience has been challenged more than ever before due to the unpredictable effects of COVID-19, it’s always great to see demand for a movie, and showtimes selling out. Yes, Marvel has now become a sure brand for box office success and is likely saving many cinemas from going under, but films like these are good reminders of how powerful the big screen is, and that there’s no other way to experience such a movie like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness than in a movie theater.
RELATED: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Tickets Now Available
In a statement, Fandango Manager Erik Davis expressed that “The epic first day of presales for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ proves fans are beyond excited to experience all the thrills, chills and blockbuster surprises Marvel Studios is known to deliver.” Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also marks the first time a movie gets released in IMAX 3D since the beginning of the pandemic. The last movie released in the format was J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in December of 2019.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will release exclusively in theatres on May 6th, with early showtimes on May 5th. The film is directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay written by Michael Waldron. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams.
What do you think? Are you excited to see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theatres? Did you have trouble buying tickets? Are showtimes in your area sold-out for opening weekend? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to share your thoughts on Twitter!
Source: Fandango
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