Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has received mixed reviews, but contrary to what it may seem, that hasn’t stopped it from being a box office success. The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its expansion, and its first big-screen adventure in 2022 is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which continues the exploration of the multiverse and its many worlds, timelines, and characters, as well as the dangers that it can unleash.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reunites the audience with the title sorcerer (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) a couple of months after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Strange will travel across the multiverse with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as they run away from a multiversal threat. Joining Strange and America in this chaotic (and at times terrifying) adventure are the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Wong (Benedict Wong), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues the MCU’s current journey through its still somewhat mysterious multiverse, which began in the TV series Loki and was later addressed in Spider-Man: No Way Home, so there was a lot of expectation around it. In addition to the multiverse theme, Doctor Strange’s second solo movie was teased to lean more into a horror vibe, which added to the excitement around it, but so far, its reception hasn’t been as good as expected from an MCU movie. Still, mixed reviews haven’t stopped Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from being a box office success, and it's unlikely they will heavily impact its numbers in the upcoming weeks.
How Much Doctor Strange 2 Has Made At The Box Office
As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, it was expected to beat The Batman’s opening box office. Just in pre-sale tickets, Doctor Strange 2 amassed over $65 million, so with that and other factors in mind, it was expected to make between $160 million and $200 million during its opening weekend. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness grossed $185 million during its opening weekend, with a worldwide total of $450 million at the time of writing, making it the third highest-grossing movie of 2022 so far.
Why Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness' Reviews Were Mixed
As mentioned above, there was a lot of expectation and anticipation around Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with a variety of rumors about the story, its villain, and the possible cameos that the multiverse could bring, but to the surprise of most, Strange’s second movie has received mixed reviews. At the time of writing, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness holds a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a low one for MCU standards even if most reviews have been positive. Among the strengths of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, according to those reviews, are Sam Raimi’s direction, the visual effects, and the performances of the main cast, especially Olsen’s. Raimi added touches of horror to an MCU movie without compromising his unique style while also fitting the standards of this connected universe, but even with all these things playing to its benefit, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has also been heavily criticized.
With all the universes and characters that Strange and company meet in this new adventure, it was somewhat inevitable that certain characters would end up being underdeveloped or their stories would be rushed, which was the case in Doctor Strange 2. America Chavez’s story wasn’t properly explored and felt quite rushed, the Illuminati’s appearance, while exciting, ended up being nothing more than fan service, and Scarlet Witch’s villainous turn wasn’t well-received by most critics, who felt it was a step back from what she went through in WandaVision.
Why Mixed Reviews Didn't Hurt Doctor Strange 2's Opening Box Office
The MCU has become such a massive connected universe, and most of its movies have been a hit with critics and at the box office, that critical performance now rarely affects the box office performance of a Marvel movie. The MCU’s Phase 4 has been exploring new characters and mostly the concept of the multiverse, and after the chaotic events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Loki and Sylvie breaking the multiverse in Loki, the anticipation for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was higher than ever. The different, darker tone in Doctor Strange 2 added to the interest of the audience, along with Raimi’s involvement, Wanda becoming Scarlet Witch, and the addition of Strange variants. Curiosity and interest in this new chapter in the MCU surpass its critical reception, so its mixed reviews haven’t affected how Doctor Strange 2 performs at the box office so far.
Will Doctor Strange 2's Box Office Be Hurt Longer-Term By Its Reviews?
Reviews by critics and the audience’s reception rarely get along when it comes to superhero movies, as these are seen by many critics as being of a lower value while the audience’s interest in them goes from curiosity, nostalgia, and more rather than being about their “cinematic value”. This has been especially evident in recent years with movies like Venom, which was a critical failure but a box office hit, and the audience was a lot more welcoming of it than critics, allowing it to get two sequels. The box office success of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so far shows that the audience’s reception isn’t the same as that of critics, so it’s unlikely that its mixed reviews will end up affecting its numbers, or at least the impact won’t be tragic.
How Big Will Doctor Strange 2's Box Office End Up Being?
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a strong start at the box office during its opening weekend, and while it’s expected to lower in the following week (which is normal), it will most likely keep its #1 spot for a few more days/weeks. To MCU standards, however, Doctor Strange 2 is already one of this universe’s weakest links, all based on reviews and the reactions of critics, but it has the potential of continuing to reign at the box office for a while. It’s unlikely, however, that Doctor Strange 2 will get at the level of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which currently stands at the #3 spot of highest-grossing MCU movies and superhero movies in general (right behind Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War) with a worldwide gross of $1,892,617,772, but it will definitely be bigger than the first Doctor Strange movie and will be among the MCU’s box office success, even if the same can’t be said about its critical reception. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been quite divisive so far, but its mixed reviews won’t necessarily affect its box office performance, as the audience’s reaction has been different from that of critics.
