How Much Doctor Strange 2 Cost (& How Much For Box Office Success)

Screen Rant

By Chris Agar

Published May 4, 2022

Here's how much Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cost to make, and what it needs to earn at the box office to be considered a success.

Here's how much Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cost to make, and what it needs to earn to be a box office success. The original Doctor Strange movie released in 2016 was a moderate hit, grossing $677.7 million globally against an $165 million budget. Following that film, Stephen Strange played key supporting roles in record-breaking blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home, building up the character's clout in the overall franchise. Now as the MCU progresses through its Phase 4, Strange is headlining his second solo film in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Kicking off the summer movie season, anticipation is very high for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film is poised to be the biggest cinematic event of the year so far, as advanced ticket sales are five times higher than the first movie. Just from those sales, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has made $42 million, illustrating how strong its box office prospects are. These are good signs for Disney and Marvel, since like most major tentpoles, the movie wasn't exactly cheap to make.

No official Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness production budget has been reported yet, but a look at Marvel's history could provide a fair estimate. Previous Phase 4 entries Black Widow, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home all cost $200 million. Shang-Chi was reportedly the least expensive, but even there the figure is in the $150-200 million range. Considering the scale of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the fact it experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, $200 million is probably what the movie's budget is. We will update this post when actual figures become available.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange looking up in Multiverse of Madness

The general rule of thumb is a movie needs to earn twice its production budget in order to break even. By that math, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would need to gross approximately $400 million worldwide to recoup its costs. The film should have no issues crossing that mark. The MCU has cemented its place as the most popular movie franchise in the industry and is showing no signs of slowing down. Spider-Man: No Way Home nearly hit $2 billion globally even amidst pandemic concerns. It's unknown if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can reach those heights, but it should do very well for itself.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the biggest new release since The Batman back in March, so there's an appetite for a fresh tentpole. It's also facing virtually no competition. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has already done the majority of its damage at the box office and won't be a threat to Doctor Strange. There's no other high-profile blockbusters on the horizon until Top Gun: Maverick at the end of May, so Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is essentially going to have the marketplace to itself for a few weeks. Also, early Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reviews are leaning positive, with critics feeling director Sam Raimi put his unique stamp on the picture. By now, Marvel movies are critic-proof, but that word-of-mouth doesn't hurt. Even if there are those who feel the movie is a bit too frantic for its own good, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should have no trouble turning a profit.

Next: The MCU Shows Why Doctor Strange Isn't Iron Man's True Replacement

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