It has been over three months since Marvel Studios initial release their fourteenth addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange. For most regions, the film is already out of local theaters as Marvel gears up for the film to return via various home release platforms. Many are eager to secure their digital or Blu-Ray copies of the film and get a chance to see the film once more, but not everyone has seen it a first time.

Japan has become the final territory to receive Doctor Strange in theaters. While the film has already earned north of $650 million worldwide, it is still cracking away at its official lifetime gross. Doctor Strange's debut in Japan this weekend saw it take the number one spot in the region.

Exhibitor Relations is reporting that Doctor Strange earned $4.5 million in Japan in its opening weekend of release there. This won't make or break the way Marvel looks at the film, but will moderately bolster its overall returns. Thanks to this opening, Doctor Strange has now grossed $664 million worldwide and will likely add a few more million to that total as it wraps up its theatrical run.

Unless there is a significant increase in ticket sales in Japan in the coming weeks, Doctor Strange has secured its place as the seventh highest grossing MCU film to date. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the next film to beat, but its sixth place stance should be secure with it sitting at $714 million. Still, this is a great start for the Doctor Strange franchise, becoming the highest-grossing debut for a single character to date. Only Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers had better runs to start a franchise, but each of those featured a team of five or more heroes, whereas this film only had Benedict Cumberbatch.

Moving forward, Doctor Strange will likely slip down the ranks of top earning Marvel films, and could find itself in tenth place by the time this year comes to a close. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming seem like locks to outgross the sorcerer, and even Thor: Ragnarok could power past it with Hulk's inclusion. Even if this does happen, it won't take anything away from this impressive run. Instead, it should only give Marvel Studios even more confidence in a sequel, even if it's currently uncertain when that might happen.

Source: Exhibitor Relations