‘Doctor Strange' Sequel Tops Box Office With Marvel-Ous $185-Million Opening

By Editor, Times of San Diego

May 9, 2022

Marvel has its place in Comic-Con hearts, and the latest release, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” – made good on predictions of a huge opening weekend.

The sequel grossed $185 million at the box office, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The follow-up to 2016’s hit, which again stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a neurosurgeon-turned-sorcerer, scored the second-biggest opening weekend of the pandemic era, behind another Marvel film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

The 2021 release opened with $260 million.

Director Sam Raimi’s movie easily outpaced the number-two film, “The Bad Guys,” which led the box office the previous two weeks and grossed $9.7 million Friday through Sunday at theaters in the U.S. and Canada.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” placed third with $6.2 million in its fifth week in theaters, Comscore reported.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” sat in fourth with $3.9 million in its fourth week. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” followed with $3.3 million in its seventh week.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore: “The Northman” ($2.7 million), “The Lost City” ($2.5 million), “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” ($1.5 million), “Memory” ($1.2 million) and “Father Stu” ($800,000).

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