BOX OFFICE: DOCTOR STRANGE Now Looks Set To Debut To A Magical $70 Million In North America
With only a couple of days to go until Doctor Strange finally makes its long awaited debut in US theaters, the latest box office projections point to a very impressive $70 million opening weekend.
When it comes to superheroes the vast majority of moviegoers have probably never heard of, Doctor Strange is definitely up there with the likes of Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Marvel Studios has a winning streak of turning B and C-List superheroes into household names, and based on the latest tracking data for the Sorcerer Supreme's big screen debut, that will once again be the case. According to Variety, the movie now looks set to earn $70 million this coming weekend.
As the trade points out, that's quite a bit higher than Ant-Man ($57.2 million), Thor ($65.7 million), and Captain America: The First Avenger ($65 million), and with countries like Russia and China also set to release Doctor Strange by Friday, the movie's haul at the international box office should easily cover its $165 million budget. The competition in North America is pretty tough this weekend though, especially with the release of kid friendly animated movie Trolls and Academy Awards favourite Hacksaw Ridge.
That's not worrying analysts though as Shawn Robbins, senior analyst at BoxOffice.com, points out: "Marvel’s bread and butter has become turning lesser-known characters into tier-one characters. I’m having a hard time finding any negative signs for this one." So, it looks like we can expect to see yet another new Marvel Stuios franchise launched with Doctor Strange in that case. Stay tuned...