Variety reports that Doctor Strange is the current heavyweight and pacesetter for the movie industry. Courtesy of an epic box office haul over the weekend.
Across 3,882 locations alone for Friday, the Marvel blockbuster recouped an impressive $32.6m before it powered through Saturday and Sunday to make an estimated $84m over the short break.
Cinemas have been struggling of late with a rise in streaming services and various entertainment options over the Internet. But the big marketing push for the superhero flick appears to have paid off handsomely. The $165m budget was quite the investment from Disney and Marvel, as the Scott Derrickson-directed feature won over audience members online to hold a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Strange Still Middle Of The Road Against Counterparts
While the signs are encouraging for all parties concerned, perhaps there might be an element of fatigue at play. Doctor Strange beat out Thor for a $65.7m opening and Ant-Man with $57.2m. Yet the film falls short of Robert Downey Jr.'s 2008 hit Iron Man with $98.6m and the ensemble romp The Avengers via a staggering total of $207.4m.
As the conclusion of the picture illustrated, Benedict Cumberbatch will bring his time travel and shape-shifting shenanigans into the fold with future installments. Allowing the character to overlap with other beloved Marvel characters. Before that is to take place however, the Marvel spinoff of types Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be next off the bat when it debuts in May 2017.
Real Life Superhero Blown Out Of The Water
While Mel Gibson tried his best during the week to plug his war biopic Hacksaw Ridge, the critically acclaimed movie starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington could only muster $5.2m on Friday. From a collective gate of 2,886 separate locations that figure is expected to hit $14m, an indication how wide the gap is between fictional heroes and actual ones with a modern audience.
Justin Timberlake's feel good animation flick Trolls fared slightly better to record $12.3m on the Friday with a projected $44m over the total weekend. So the stats don't lie - our appetite for a quirky, special-effects driven superhero epic shows no signs of slowing down!
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