‘Doctor Strange 2’ conjures up biggest opening of 2022
The summer movie season is off to a blockbuster start thanks to “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” The superhero extravaganza grossed an estimated $185 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, the Walt Disney Co. said Sunday.
Not only did it more than double the opening of the first “Doctor Strange,” which opened to $85 million in 2016, it’s also the biggest opener of the year, ahead of “The Batman’s” $134 million; the second biggest of the pandemic, behind “Spider-Man: Far From Home’s” $260.1 million; and the sixth biggest of all time globally.
Internationally, it’s doing
even better with an estimated $265 million since opening Wednesday. In total, “Doctor Strange 2” has already made $450 million.
Spider-Man is at least partially to thank for the massive debut. Benedict Cumberbatch’s powerful sorcerer appeared prominently in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which has become the third biggest movie of all time since
opening in December. “Doctor Strange 2” picks up several months after the events of “No Way Home,” and brings in Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, who became even more popular thanks to the recent Disney+ series “WandaVision.”
The film also has a gigantic footprint. It’s playing in 4,534 theaters in the U.S. and Canada alone, which according to Disney is the seventh widest opening ever. Premium format screens, including IMAX and 3D, accounted for 36% of the overall box office.
TOP 10
1. “doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness,” $185 million.
2. “The Bad Guys,” $9.8 million.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” $6.2 million.
4. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of dumbledore,” $3.9 million.
5. “Everything Everywhere all at once,” $3.3 million.
6. “The northman,”$2.8 million.
7. “The Lost City,” $2.5 million.
8. “The unbearable Weight of massive Talent,” $1.5 million.
9. “memory,” $1.2 million.
10. “Father Stu,” $800,000.