Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman have proven that superheroes continue to rule the box office in this post-COVID era, and while Morbius admittedly went the other way by flopping, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks set to conjure up big numbers this weekend.
According to Deadline, the sequel is on track to open with at least $150 million. However, there's a very good chance it could go as high as $175 million - $200 million from Thursday to Monday.
Apparently, Fandango is currently selling 5x as many tickets as Doctor Strange (which debuted to $85 million), and besting the presales of Marvel Studios blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Captain Marvel. The former Sorcerer Supreme's popularity has grown massively since he first showed up in 2016, especially after multiple MCU appearances.
Strange featured in the last two Avengers movies and Spider-Man: No Way Home, of course.
"'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' will reshape the way we experience comic book movies moving forward," exclaims Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis. "Fans can’t wait to see what magic director Sam Raimi has in store for them as he delivers an epic spectacle that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible."
You may have heard that there have been some pretty noteworthy leaks from the movie over the past couple of days, but they have only served to increase excitement. We'd recommend not hunting them down as we're talking about moments that are definitely best experienced on a big screen.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in theaters on May 6.