‘Doctor Strange 2’ keeps hold on top spot in 2nd weekend

NEW YORK » “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” stayed on top of the box office charts during its second weekend in theaters, earning an additional $61 million from North American theaters, according to studio estimates.

With $688 million in global grosses, it’s already one of the highest-grossing films of the pandemic and the secondbiggest of 2022. But a 67% fall is also a steep drop — even for reliably frontloaded superhero films. Still, “SpiderMan: No Way Home” slid 68% in weekend two.

Released by the Walt Disney Co., “Doctor Strange 2” benefitted from being the first Marvel movie to follow “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” in which Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer played a pivotal role.