Final Doctor Strange 2 Box Office Predictions Reveal A Staggering MCU Benchmark
It has been almost six years since Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange made his debut as Stephen Strange in MCU. The 2016 film was a certain touchstone of the Master of Mystic Arts’ impact on the greater MCU. Cumberbatch has since appeared as Marvel’s premiere sorcerer on three occasions: Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and No Way Home.
Finally, we have a proper sequel in cards, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is set to hit theaters on May 6. This comes right after one of the most successful movies ever, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Tom Holland starter manages to gross the sixth-highest total ever, making $1.89 billion, and the third-highest at the domestic box office, making around $804.4 million. While Multiverse of Madness isn’t expected to reach No Way Home’s heights, the film promises to be another exciting multiversal adventure with enough surprises to draw massive fan and audience reactions.
Before we witness the much-anticipated solo sequel, here is a quick trip down memory lane for all viewers. Doctor Strange was helmed by Scott Derickson, grossing over $232.6 million domestically and about $677.8 million globally. The film opened at $85 million in domestic theaters, which also happens to be the 19th highest total in the history of MCU. In simpler words, Strange did manage to adequate its first time in movie halls and theaters, especially for a new character for the big screen.
Doctor Strange 2 Is Set to Smash the Box Office
A huge factor that might contribute in Multiverse of Madness’s success is that it is actually a sequel to three individual Marvel projects: Doctor Strange, WandaVision, and No Way Home. Keeping Marvel fans invested via various projects is the greatest strength of Marvel Studios. The movie will resume the Stephen Strange story from 2016, then pick up on Wanda’s journey as Scarlet Witch, and finally deal with the ramifications of Strange’s spell-casting that went horribly wrong in No Way Home.
In many ways, Doctor Strange 2 is already seen as a success, earning a massive $42 million in advanced sales of tickets. April 2022 is the most normal time since about February 2020. Big studio films like Morbius, Fantastic Beasts, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 were also released (to mixed results).
How Multiverse of Madness Could Struggle At The Box Office
The biggest sign trending downwards for Multiverse of Madness is the controversy around LGBTQIA+. The movie will not see the light in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as they requested Marvel to remove a scene – but since then, the film has been banned from its release in the country.
Not related to this backlash, it is still unlikely that the movie will release in China, which constituted a massive chunk of MCU box office earnings before the pandemic hit us in 2020. From a global perspective, there is a certain cap placed on this movie if it does not get released in as many countries as once planned and assumed.
Final Predictions for Doctor Strange
The official prediction for Doctor Strange 2 is estimated at an opening gross of about $205 million, totaling $520 million in domestic markets, with a worldwide haul of over $1.1 billion. If this holds true, this would be the sixth MCU movie to make at least $200 million on its opening weekend, only to gross $500 million domestically. If it does, Doctor Strange 2 will be the 11th MCU movie to break the barrier of the billion-dollar mark.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit the theaters on May 6.
