Deadline confirms that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earned a solid $13.3 million on Monday to take its domestic total to $200.7 million in North America. With an opening weekend of over $186 million, the sequel marks a return to form of sorts for Marvel Studios.
Spider-Man: No Way Home aside, the studio's last three movies all hit theaters when the pandemic was quite a bit worse. As a result, Black Widow grossed $80 million during its opening weekend (with an additional $60 million on Disney+' Premier Access service), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings netted $75 million, and Eternals hit theaters with a so-so $71 million.
The trade notes that they expect a 60% decline for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness heading into its second weekend, suggesting we'll see a three-day total of around $74 million.
Firestarter is unlikely to pose much of a problem to the former Sorcerer Supreme's latest solo adventure, which has plenty of time to make an impact before Top Gun: Maverick arrives over Memorial Day weekend. With that in mind, we expect to see this sequel eventually hit the $1 billion mark globally (even though the response from moviegoers hasn't been as positive as in the past).
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a one of a kind blockbuster experience and a pure, unadulterated Sam Raimi movie that, while not quite the crazy ride through the Multiverse we expected, delivers a fun, horror-tinged trip," we said in our review of the blockbuster last week.
Did you head to the theater to watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness this weekend?