Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is looking to bring in yet another record-breaking success for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise that is showing no signs of slowing down or stopping.
It’s even more impressive when we take into factor that we are living in constant, unpredictable pandemic surges. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the first film to reach $1 billion dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when movie theaters were stress-tested due to the uncontrolled spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, which led to many theater closures around some parts of the world.
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2022 has been a great year for movies and has brought lots of box office success for some mid-budget films, but comic book movies and IP-driven content has been bringing most audiences to theatres so far. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could very well make lots of money, and become the highest-grossing movie of the year so far, on track to make over $700 million worldwide, if we look at the projections from Box Office Pro.
Doctor Strange In The Madness Of The Box Office
According to them, early domestic projections see the movie earning between $170 million and $205 million, which not only exceeds the domestic success that the first film had with an $85 million opening, but approaches No Way Home‘s massive $260 million opening weekend it had in December. It could obviously exceed those projections, and if it does, it would be a great sign that the box office is on the road to recovery amidst the uncertain challenges that the COVID pandemic has brought on the movie theater industry.
It’s also worth noting that the film obliterated Fandango’s 2022 pre-sale ticket records, beating The Batman and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for most tickets sold during the year. Still, while comic book films are flourishing in cinemas, single-handedly saving them from the brink of bankruptcy, most independent films are barely making an impact, due to shorter theatrical windows and a lack of willingness from the audience to see them in theatres.
If comic book films and IP-driven content are the only titles making the most money in cinemas, in a post-COVID world, there may be a push for more blockbuster content in theatres and less independent, or art-house driven movies.
But, on the flip side, it’s great to see audiences flocking to cinemas after two years of uncertainty and supporting them, no matter what movie they are seeing. All the better if Doctor Strange showtimes sell out. Anything to support the cinemas is a step in the right direction for their recovery.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The movie releases exclusively in theatres on May 6th, with early showtimes as of May 5th from 4pm in certain areas of the world. The movie marks the first time a film is released in IMAX 3D in two years, after 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
In the new film, Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse. However, a threat emerges that may be too big for his team to handle.
What do you think? Will Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness become the second movie to make $1 billion at the global box-office during the COVID-19 pandemic? Let us know in the comments below and follow us on Twitter!
KEEP READING: DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS HAS A PG-13 RATING FOR INTENSE VIOLENCE
Source: Box Office Pro
