‘Doctor Strange 2’ passes ‘The Batman’ at the box office in just 3 weeks

It can’t be argued that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest, most popular, and most lucrative property in the film and television industry, but it also can’t be denied that Batman is more well-known, recognizable, and iconic than Doctor Strange, so it’s to the former surgeon’s credit that his second solo outing in Multiverse of Madness has passed the global box office total of Matt Reeves’ reboot after just three weeks in theaters.

Since releasing on March 4, Robert Pattinson’s debut under the cape and cowl has racked up roughly $770 million, a decent enough return given that the three-hour running time limits the number of screenings per day, not to mention the ongoing effects of the pandemic continuing to affect business.

Of course, Sam Raimi’s superhero spectacular runs for almost a full hour less than The Batman, picked up where WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home left off, and promised all sorts of reality-bending shenanigans that had the potential to forever alter the MCU as we know it, which is why the Doctor Strange sequel has managed to race past $800 million already.

Not only that, but it’s become the first movie in 10 years to spend the first three weekends in May at number one on the domestic charts. What was the last title to achieve such a feat, you may ask? Shockingly enough, it was MCU stablemate The Avengers. Multiverse of Madness may not be able to reach a billion, but it’s already another monster-sized success for Kevin Feige’s outfit.