Ever since Iron Man debuted back in 2008, kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, fans and critics have been watching the box office results with each new Marvel Studios release, wondering when the numbers would begin to falter. After all, there are bound to be a few missteps from time to time – The Incredible Hulk is proof of this. Yet, as they continue to expand their roster and take risks, it appears they’re only growing stronger as a brand. If you’ll recall, Guardians of the Galaxy was seen as a huge risk for the studio, one that many assumed wouldn’t pay off. Yet, the film launched a successful new franchise for Marvel Studios.
Now, this year, they’re taking things in an even Stranger direction – pun intended – with the release of Doctor Strange in November. It’s a film that, much like last year’s Ant-Man, has plenty of controversy surrounding it ahead of its release. Ant-Man, which saw a director shake-up shortly before production, opened to $57 million domestically. Not a bad number, but also not one of Marvel’s strongest openings. Going into Doctor Strange, which is dealing with backlash over the casting of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, one could assume the opening weekends will be about the same for the two projects. And as of right now? They’d be right. Deadline is currently reporting that it appears Marvel’s first foray into the Mystic Arts could open anywhere between $50-$60 Million domestically.
Among those fall titles that will rally this season, hands down, everyone points to Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange, which could easily debut to $50M-$60M according to non-Disney estimates. RelishMix reports that the Benedict Cumberbatch movie has the largest social media universe among those titles hitting the screen before Fantastic Beasts with 92M. Doctor Strange video elements are being passed around at an enormous rate of 46 to 1 (the average is 10 to 1).
It’s worth noting that actual tracking numbers won’t be available until we’re about three weeks out from the theatrical release of Doctor Strange. I’d like to think the numbers will rise as we near closer to release, especially as Marvel hasn’t even begun to ramp up their marketing for the project just yet, but it’s always hard to tell with these things. Heck, Guardians of the Galaxy was expected to open to $65 Million and ultimately blew past everyone’s expectations when it reached $94 Million domestically.
What do you think Doctor Strange will open to? Let us know in the comments below!
Doctor Strange will hit the big screen on November 4th, 2016.
Source: Deadline.
