2nd `Doctor Strange' has blockbuster weekend

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 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.

“Summer blockbuster season is off to a roaring start with ‘Doctor Strange’ — an excellent sign for the phenomenal slate ahead,” Rich Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, said in a statement.

Hollywood’s summer movie season typically kicks off in early

May and runs through the end of August and — aside from the last two years — regularly accounts for over $4 billion in ticket sales (or about 40% of the year’s grosses).

Sam Raimi stepped up to direct “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which reportedly cost around $200 million to make.

Over the weekend, the film has trended on social media for everything from its many cameos to a spirited debate over its PG13 rating and whether or not the horror elements warranted something more restrictive.

Universal and Dreamworks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” fell to second place in its third weekend with an estimated $9.8 million, while “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” from Paramount, landed in third with $6.2 million.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” took fourth with $3.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $86 million. In fifth place was another multiversethemed film, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” It earned an additional $3.3 million in its seventh weekend in theaters.