Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision, Doctor Strange 2 finds the titular sorcerer trying to help Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, who is being pursued by creatures that are attempting to steal her ability to travel across the multiverse. Enlisting the help of Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, our heroes find themselves on a journey across the alternate realities beyond the MCU and encountering a few surprising yet familiar faces along the way,
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Per Deadline, Doctor Strange 2’s $36 million from preview screenings is enough for the second-best total from previews during the pandemic. Only Spider-Man: No Way Home has earned more from Thursday night previews during the pandemic after having scored $50 million over the same period back in December 2021. The long-awaited Doctor Strange 2 sequel is currently the eighth-biggest preview earner overall, ranking behind Avengers: Infinity War’s $39 million. Furthermore, Doctor Strange 2 is now the fifth-highest Thursday night preview earner for IMAX, having grossed $4.2 million in ticket sales from IMAX theaters.
Doctor Strange 2 is tracking to open with a worldwide total of approximately $300 million, with at least $160 million of that projected to come from the domestic box office. If these figures hold, Doctor Strange 2 will have the biggest opening for a Disney film since the pandemic started, as Spider-Man: No Way Home is actually a Sony film co-produced by Marvel Studios. At this time, the pandemic-era opening weekend record for Disney is held by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which debuted with $75.3 million over Labor Day weekend in September 2021.
News of Doctor Strange 2’s early box office success will likely come as a relief to exhibitors after expected juggernauts like Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore floundered in theaters. While the earnings of blockbusters like The Batman and critical darlings like Everything Everywhere All at Once are nothing to sneeze at, theater owners are probably relieved to know audiences are seemingly ready to head back to the cineplex for the summer season.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters.
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Source: Deadline
