Fans are already getting quite pumped up for Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, but a big part of that excitement is likely because of the way the film will follow in the footsteps of the massive hit that was Spider-Man: No Way Home. During the post-pandemic era, nobody was really sure if No Way Home would be quite the massive hit that it was, except perhaps Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, who apparently saw the movie as a harbinger of the future of the theatrical experience.
Benedict Cumberbatch, who appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and stars in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, recently revealed to Empire that prior to the release of Spider-Man, Kevin Feige said the film would reveal the ”future of cinema.” Cumberbatch admits he didn’t really believe it then, but he does now. The actor explains…
I think when Kevin Feige first said, ‘We’ll know about the future of cinema, or the cinemagoing experience, after this film,’ I was like, ‘OK, everyone’s drinking too much of the Kool-Aid around here.’ My ignorance was showed up.” From the looks of things, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness could be just as colossal.
There has been a question since the pandemic began of what the long-term consequences to the movie industry would actually be. Would people be willing to return to movie theaters eventually, or had there been a permanent shift away from theaters? Would box office numbers return to previous highs, or were they permanently down at a lower level? Spider-Man: No Way Home has clearly shown that when a movie comes along that people want to see enough they will return to the theater in record numbers.
Prior to Spider-Man: No Way Home we were talking about movies that were succeeding in the “pandemic-era” there was always an asterix attached to box office success. But No Way Home has been setting box office records on par with pre-pandemic numbers.
Certainly, with all the buzz that was surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home, if the audience hadn’t shown up, there might have been cause for concern. This is likely why Kevin Feige saw the movie as a bellwether. If people weren't going to come to the theater to see this move, especially with all the buzz surrounding it, the outlook for any other film was not good.
Certainly, if Spider-Man: No Way Home is evidence that the future of cinema is something like what the past was, we still have some work to do to get there. It’s not like everything is perfect now. But real box office success is still possible, and as Benedict Cumberbatch says, all eyes are now on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as it will very likely follow in the footsteps of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Between the plotline connections and the similar cameos that we are expecting. All signs are pointing to another big hit for Marvel.
