The numbers are finally in and it looks like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has made quite the splash, as it currently is on its way to ending the weekend with $185M domestically. It may still make the $190M if it picks up some momentum going into the Sunday, but it’s still looking good that the film remains on this route. That’s not all, as it also now stands at an impressive global tally of $450M. This makes it the best opening ever for a Sam Raimi-directed film and is now the biggest release of 2022.
Keep in mind, that these numbers are what Disney is calling with some experts still thinking it could manage between $194M to $197M. It’s an impressive kickoff and the best Disney opening since the pandemic started, which could potentially place it in the top ten openings of all time. Its development currently is expected to be on par with Avengers: Age of Ultron, as Mother’s Day, could drag it down a bit, but that’s already been accounted for according to Deadline.
The film did face a B+ CinemaScore, but the development highlights that it’s not going to get dragged down by it. The film even saw a 9% increase over Friday going into Saturday, which may hint at it having a similar development to other horror titles, which are strong legs even with lower Audience ratings. Internationally, the film drew in $265M, which is the second biggest global release for Hollywood and is only 17% behind Spider-Man: No Way Home.
What stands out is that its development is 160% ahead of the original 2016 Doctor Strange and making it one of the biggest leaps from one entry to the net. A true showcase of how strong the interconnectivity of the MCU is supporting its projects. It also has to take into account that it’s been banned from releases in specific countries like Saudi Arabia and China for the inclusion of LGBTQ references, which highlights just how strong the release truly is. We’ll see once the final numbers for Sunday roll in if the film managed to reach the $200M domestically after all and if it gets an additional boost worldwide.
