Marvel found massive success with earlier this year with Captain America: Civil War, a film that opened with $179 million and went on to gross $1.1 billion worldwide. That movie had the benefit of being the third of an established successful series and featuring a whole line-up of Avengers, so how will Doctor Strange -- a movie that has none of those things -- compare? Early tracking has just come in for Doctor Strange, revealing that the film is looking at a very solid opening weekend this November.
November is just a few weeks away, and if Twitter is any indication, fans are starting to get pumped for the arrival of Marvel's latest...
For some fans, it may just be a matter of seeing the right trailers, or an exclusive preview to build the anticipation...
And while some fans are less excited about this installment to the MCU, they are curious to see how it fits into the universe...
As we learned this week, early tracking reports claim that Doctor Strange is looking at an opening weekend of $55 million to $75 million, though that figure is expected to grow as we get closer to the film's release date. Doctor Strange is the first non-sequel film produced by Marvel since Ant-Man in 2015 and as such, is a bit of an unknown. The film will be introducing an all-new superhero into the MCU, as well as the concept of magic and alternate universes. The marketing for the film has thus far been focused on the eye-catching visuals with a stellar cast consisting of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor to boot.
As Deadline points out, even though the figures are on the low-end, Doctor Strange would still be the best opening of autumn. While $55 million isn't the highest debut of a Marvel film, these numbers aren't in stone. It's always possible that Doctor Strange will exceed a $75 million opening. Early tracking reports for Deadpool were looking at a middling opening before the film kicked the door down with $132.4 million.
It's also important to remember that Marvel's last new superhero film, Ant-Man, opened to a so-so $57 million, before going on to earn an impressive $517 million worldwide. Doctor Strange can be considered risky due to it's featuring an unknown lead character with a high concept backstory, but Marvel faced a similar challenge in 2014 with Guardians of the Galaxy. That film starred a raccoon and space tree that even comic book fans didn't know well, and it went on to earn $94.3 million -- an August opening record at the time. Marvel Studios movies tend to have long legs, so even if Doctor Strange has a weak opening, it could do well in the long run.
Right now the film has good word of mouth going for it, and it does seem like fans' anticipation is really beginning to build as the release date nears. Marvel recently showed off 15 minutes of footage from Doctor Strange at an IMAX 3D event that got a lot of critics and fans talking. People saw first hand the mind-bending alternate realities showcased in the film. As someone who was lucky enough to see this footage, I can tell you that what I saw is nearly impossible to describe and Doctor Strange looks like a real wild ride.
But you can all see that for yourself when Doctor Strange hits theaters next month on November 4.
