After two weekends, Disney/Doctor Marvel’s Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is approaching $700 million worldwide. The worldwide total through Sunday is now anticipated to be $688.1M, including $291.9M from the domestic box office and $396.2M from the overseas box office. The latter will soon overtake The Batman as the biggest overseas release of 2022.
The sequel has surpassed the global lifetime of the first Doctor Strange ($678M) and appears to be on track for a total gross of more over $900M (say, $925M-$950M), even without Russia or China. So, perhaps not the $1 billion that could have been predicted based on last weekend’s better-than-expected opening.
In 49 material markets, the sophomore frame cost $83.5 million. This represents a 60% decrease from opening weekend. While this is comparable to the drop Spider-Man: No Way Home had in its second frame in the same set of markets, that film was released during the Christmas season. Doctor Strange 2’s release date is earlier than expected. All regions on Multiverse Of Madness were uniformly depleted to the same degree.
During the midweeks, there was some softness, and while moviegoers aren’t necessarily polarised on the film, some aren’t adoring it as a must-see repeat viewing. Sam Raimi fans and MCU stalwarts are in, as are lovers of Disney+’s Wanda Vision, but second viewings aren’t driving sales. The casual MCU fan is less enthusiastic about the must-see aspect. Then there’s the question of whether audiences are simply excited for anything fresh in post- or mid-pandemic periods.
But let us not be too pessimistic. Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch remain the No. 1 non-local film worldwide this weekend, with the second-highest gross of any film this year, as well as fronting the fifth-largest Hollywood title of the Covid era.
In terms of market share, DSITMOM is the No. 1 film of the pandemic in Indonesia and the No. 2 film in Brazil and Mexico.
Korea ($41.4M), the United Kingdom ($36.9M), Mexico ($31.1M), Brazil ($25.1M), Australia ($19.4M), India ($17.7M), France ($17.5M), Indonesia ($15.7M), Germany ($14.4M), Japan ($12.9M), and Italy ($12.1M) are the top ten markets so far.
DS2 has grossed $48.9 million in IMAX, with $22.2 million coming from internationally.