Movie

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' faces no competition from new release 'Firestarter', a new adaptation of Stephen King's novel starring Zac Efron.

• May 16, 2022

AceShowbiz - "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" still outlives other movies in theaters. The latest Marvel superhero movie holds on to the first position at the North American box office on its second weekend despite a significant drop.

The "Doctor Strange" sequel bags an estimated addition of $61 million. It's a 67.5% decline from its first week, marking a steeper drop off compared to recent Marvel movies like "Eternals" (which declined 61% in its second weekend) and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (which declined 52% in its second weekend). This, however, isn't the first time for a superhero blockbuster to experience a steep decline on its second week as "Spider-Man: No Way Home" slid 68% in weekend two.

The Benedict Cumberbatch-starring movie has so far grossed $291.9 million domestically. It has collected $396.2.1 million internationally for a current worldwide gross of $688 million, outpacing its predecessor which ended its theatrical run in 2016 with $232 million domestically and $677 million globally.

"Audiences crave these big blockbusters on the big screen," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, of moviegoers' reception to "Doctor Strange 2". "This marketplace has given 'Doctor Strange' a pretty long runway to be successful until 'Top Gun'."

This week's new release "Firestarter" proves to be no competition to "Multiverse of Madness". The new adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name debuts to a weak $3.8 million at No. 4 domestically.

The remake of the 1984 film stars Zac Efron and was released in both theaters and on the company's streaming service Peacock+, which is clearly not the cleverest strategy. As Dergarabedian noted, no film that opens "day and date" in theaters and on streaming is expecting to break any records. "The notion that a theatrical exclusive debut gives movies their best shot at success is right," he weighed in.

Producer Jason Blum previously expressed his optimism about the film. "It's an iconic Stephen King property," he told EW. "It's something I've thought about doing for a long time and we finally got the right mix of folks to make the movie. I'm very proud of it, I'm very excited for people to see it."

According to Blum, the adaptation is also approved by King himself. "I showed him the movie and he was happy with it," he said. "He was very generous with his response and his comments and I was very happy about that."

Elsewhere in the top five, "The Bad Guys" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" stay at No. 2 and 3 three respectively. The DreamWorks Animation film adds an estimated $6.9 million, while the "Sonic the Hedgehog" sequel brings in an estimated addition $4.6 to its domestic gross. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" also still holds on to the fifth position with approximately $3.3 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (May. 13-15, 2022):

1. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" - $61 million
2. "The Bad Guys" - $6.9 million
3. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" - $4.6 million
4. "Firestarter" - $3.8 million
5. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - $3.3 million
6. "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" - $2.4 million
7. "The Lost City" - $1.73 million
8. "The Northman" - $1.7 million
9. "Family Camp" - $1.4 million
10. "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent " - $1 million