Here’s another signpost on the film industry’s road back to normal: The summer blockbuster season is back to kicking off with a huge Marvel movie on the first weekend of May with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
And just like the last film to feature Doctor Strange, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” this MCU entry arrives with the sky-high expectations one would expect from a pre-pandemic blockbuster. Projections currently have “Doctor Strange 2” earning a weekend of at least $160 million, with some analysts and rival distributors expecting a figure closer to $200 million.
Disney, as usual, is dampening expectations, projecting that the film will top the $134 million launch of “The Batman” to become the top opening of 2022 and the second highest since theaters reopened behind “No Way Home.”