Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is headed for a huge opening weekend and it kicked things off in Thursday previews that pulled in solid box office revenue.
The Doctor Strange sequel grossed $36 million from previews that began at 3:00 PM, per Deadline. This represents the second-best preview day of the pandemic after Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $50 million in Thursday previews back in December.
What’s even more impressive is that this is the eighth largest preview day ever and it ranks behind Avengers: Infinity War, which grossed $39 million back in 2018. The number also represents the fifth-highest Thursday preview day for IMAX. The Sam Raimi-directed MCU sequel goes wide today in 4,534 theaters, representing the seventh widest opening ever.
The Rotten Tomatoes score, as of this writing, is at 77% fresh with 244 reviews counted. That’s a solid enough ranking heading into the weekend to maybe lure in non-Marvel fans to check out this weekend’s latest tentpole release. I predicted a $180 million start for the film and now we will have to wait and see how the weekend plays out to see if it can reach those heights.
What are YOUR thoughts on the Thursday preview numbers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?