Is the honeymoon period for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness over already? Given that the 28th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe managed to cross $500 million at the global box office in five days, we’re inclined to say no, but Sam Raimi’s sequel has set an alarmingly unwanted record for the franchise.
Not content with posting one of the MCU’s worst-ever CinemaScore ratings, Multiverse of Madness has now suffered the steepest Friday-to-Friday drop in the superhero saga’s 14-year history. According to the latest estimates, Benedict Cumberbatch’s reality-hopping escapade pulled in roughly $17 million from domestic screens yesterday, which is down by almost 82% compared to the previous Friday.
That takes the honors away from Black Widow, which fell by 79% in its sophomore frame last summer, although it should be pointed out that Scarlett Johansson’s prequel was of course a hybrid Disney Plus release, which significantly hampered its commercial prospects.
As it stands, though, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will easily win the weekend with a projected haul in the $60-65 million range, which will see it pass $300 million on home soil in 10 days. The real question is whether or not a billion dollars continues to grow out of range based on how quickly the domestic numbers are falling, but we know much better at this stage than to bet against the MCU.
Either way, the mind-melting blockbuster will pass The Batman sooner rather or later to become the highest-grossing Hollywood production of 2022.
