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| 5 Ways 'Doctor Strange' Worked Magic at the Box Office Posted:
No, not the election, which still has a couple more days to irritate us all. But hey, the box office slump that has plagued the multiplex all autumn is over, thanks largely to "Doctor Strange" and "Trolls." So, there's that. The good doctor's new movie opened at the higher end of expectations, with an estimated take just $11,000 shy of $85 million. So did "Trolls," with the cartoon bringing in an estimated $45.6 million. Even "Hacksaw Ridge," the brutal new World War II drama from the long-off-the-radar Mel Gibson, performed at the top of its predicted range, debuting in third place with an estimated $14.8 million. Most of the credit goes to the surgeon-turned-sorcerer at the top of the chart. Even though his box office victory was pretty much a sure thing, he still cast his spell in some surprising ways. Here are the five steps on his unusual path to success. 1. Because Marvel Still, "Doctor Strange" stands out among MCU movies that launched individual characters. At $85 million, the movie boasts a stronger opening than "The Incredible Hulk" ($55 million), "Ant-Man" ($57 million), "Captain America: The First Avenger" ($65 million), and "Thor" ($66 million). Only "Iron Man," a much better-known character, had a higher single-character launch ($98 million). The "Strange" debut also puts it in the same ballpark as sequel "Thor: The Dark World" (a nearly identical $85.7 million opening), the only other MCU movie with a November premiere date. 2. The Crazy Visual Spectacle Disney took advantage of the film's visual appeal by booking it into seemingly every possible auditorium offering a giant screen or rental glasses. Of the 3,882 screens showing "Strange," 3,530 projected it 3D. There were 379 IMAX screens, 516 other premium large format screens, and even 189 D-Box screens, with the seats jostling along to the picture. Usually, grosses from all these surcharge formats count for 10 to 30 percent of a film's debut take, but with "Strange," Disney reports that they amounted to a tremendous 51 percent. 3. Cumberbatch, the Internet's Boyfriend Two years ago, he managed to turn "The Imitation Game" -- an indie biopic about a gay World War II code-breaker, who spends a lot of time just sitting and thinking -- into a $91 million domestic hit. As much as the Marvel name alone sells tickets, it certainly helped that it was the cerebral and charismatic Cumberbatch playing the mysterious and obscure character, rather than, say, whoever is the next Chris Hemsworth or Chris Evans. 4. Disney Can't Stop, Won't Stop Disney may stumble with such lower-profile releases, but the studio certainly knows how to sell its big pictures, including 2016's "Zootopia," "The Jungle Book," "Captain America: Civil War," and "Finding Dory." With "Moana" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" due out before Christmas, Disney could well have a $7 billion year by the time the New Year's ball drops. 5. The Rest of the Multiplex "Trolls" was the first major family cartoon since "Storks" a couple months ago, and "Hacksaw Ridge" the first real wide-release drama in a while for grown-ups with discerning taste -- the ones who made a point of ignoring "Inferno," "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," and "The Girl on the Train" in October. By the way, if you were wondering, Mel Gibson has apparently been forgiven -- by Hollywood, by critics, and by audiences -- all of whom flipped for the director's combat tale. "Hacksaw" may have played to older viewers (68 percent of its audience was age 35 or above), but it also played equally to men and women. It's probably a safe bet that the draw for those older men and women wasn't former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield. Of course, the other thing this weekend's three new hits had in common was favorable buzz, from both the critics and the public. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movies were all certified fresh (ranging from 73 percent positive reviews for "Trolls" to 90 for "Strange), while at CinemaScore, paying customers gave all three movies an A grade. And that could be the simplest reason why "Strange" and its fellow new wide releases ended the slump. We keep saying that if Hollywood would just release well-made movies, people would come see them, but until this weekend, the studios hadn't put that idea to the test for quite a while. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Box Office: 'Doctor Strange' Conjures $85 Million Opening Weekend Posted:
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6 (Variety.com) - The sheer predictability is almost becoming tiresome. Another Marvel opening, another blazing box office success for the studio behind Captain America, the Hulk, and Iron Man. This time it's Stephen Strange's turn to dominate the multiplexes, after "Doctor Strange," the first big-screen appearance for the Master of the Mystic Arts, was the top ticket seller with a $85 million. It marks the fourteenth straight first place opening for a Marvel film, a feat matched only by Pixar. "The unbroken streak of critical and commercial success that Marvel has achieved is remarkable," said Dave Hollis, domestic distribution chief at Disney, Marvel's parent studio. "One of the reasons Marvel is a cut above is the emphasis and care they put on each character's development and particular journey." The latest exercise in costumed heroism concerns a brilliant surgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) who turns to magic after a devastating accident prevents him from plying his craft. The story of Doctor Strange may be globally known now, but the character was hardly a household name before the movie hit. That's been a strength of Marvel's. In recent years, the studio has been particularly adroit at turning lesser-known superheroes such as Ant-Man or the Guardians of the Galaxy into blue chip properties. "There's so much negative stuff out there right now that this provides some nice respite," said Chris Aronson, distribution head at Fox, the studio that is overseeing the rollout of the film. "The music and the colors and the feel-good vibe just translated to a wide swath of people." Lionsgate's "Hacksaw Ridge," a World War II drama from Mel Gibson, kicked off with a respectable $14.7 million. The film hopes to be an awards contender. Though Gibson won an Oscar for his work on "Braveheart," his career was derailed a decade ago after he was arrested for drunk driving and was recorded making anti-Semitic remarks. "Hacksaw Ridge" has a $40 million budget. The film is a biopic of Desmond Doss, a U.S. medic and contentious objector, who received the Medal of Honor for his work ministering to the fallen at Okinawa. The opening for "Strange" trumps those of "Thor" ($65.7 million), "Captain America: The First Avenger" ($65 million), and "Ant-Man" ($57.2 million). That's impressive given that Captain America and Thor are better known figures. Still the good doctor couldn't quite reach the stratospheric likes of "Iron Man" ($98.6 million), "Captain America: Civil War" ($179.1 million), or "Marvel's The Avengers" ($207.4 million). Those films benefited from having Robert Downey Jr. and featuring bands of superheroes. "Doctor Strange" wasn't cheap to make. Disney and Marvel spent $165 million to give the Sorcerer Supreme the celluloid treatment. Globally, the film is a monster, having earned $240.4 million since it began rolling out overseas last week. That includes a $44.3 million debut in China, with Korea ($30.4 million), the United Kingdom ($18.9 million), and Russia ($15.4 million) among the top-performing territories. "Doctor Strange" played well in Imax, earning $24.2 million globally. The film's worldwide total stands at $325.4 million. Earlier this week, Disney announced that it had reached a new high-water mark for global ticket sales with $5.85 billion. The box office power of "Doctor Strange" coupled with upcoming releases such as "Moana" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," mean that Disney is on pace to set a new industry-wide record, passing the $6.89 billion mark established by Universal in 2015. In limited release, Focus Features debuted "Loving," a drama about the court battle to end state bans on interracial marriage. The film earned $169,000 from four theaters. "This film has struck a chord," said Lisa Bunnell, president of Focus Features. "It's a subtle, beautifully done film about the obstacles people faced in the not so distant past." Focus bought the film out of the Berlin Film Festival, as part of a shift in strategy that has the indie label returning to its art house roots. The company briefly tried to make more genre works, such as horror films and thrillers, but ultimately abandoned that approach in the face of disappointing commercial results. It hopes to be a major player in the awards race with "Loving," and upcoming releases such as "Nocturnal Animals" and "A Monster Calls." "Moonlight," perhaps the most acclaimed film of the year, continued to impress as it widened its theatrical footprint. The drama about a young black man grappling with his sexuality added $1.3 million to its $3 million haul. It is playing in 83 theaters. The combination of the magical warrior and those cuddly trolls turbocharged the box office. Ticket sales this fall have struggled, but the movie business appears to be rebounding. Revenues were up nearly 19% from the year-ago period -- a weekend that saw the release of "Spectre" and "The Peanuts Movie." As the presidential battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sprints towards Election Day next week, "Doctor Strange" and "Trolls" may have provided a needed break from a campaign that has been among the most negative in history. "These movies were a great escape from the election," said Dergarabedian. "A good movie can be the salve for any wounds." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Our long national nightmare is finally over.
That's all good news, especially after such a disappointing week last weekend, when the 
Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has pretty much been a license to print money, and all 14 of the movies so far have debuted at No. 1.
The film's "
For a guy who's been on the radar of international moviegoers for only the last five years, Benedict Cumberbatch has a remarkable following. The Internet loves him, of course, but he's also reached the point where that fandom is actually translating into ticket sales.
The studio on a record roll. Recently, the Mouse House boasted that it had already earned more in global ticket sales in 2016 (with two months still to go) than in any previous year. Thanks to "Doctor Strange," which has grossed another $240.4 million abroad, for a worldwide total of $325.4 million, Disney announced Sunday that its global sales have topped $6 billion so far this year. And that's despite the studio's various disappointments like "
The rising-tide-lifts-all-boats theory got some proof this weekend; if the movie you wanted to see was sold out, there was probably still something you wanted to see at the multiplex.
By Brent Lang
"Strange" wasn't the only film to resonate with consumers. "
"It's an unbelievable story, and I think audiences were totally engaged by Desmond's heroism and the celebration of the human spirit," said David Spitz, co-president of Lionsgate's theatrical distribution team.| You are subscribed to email updates from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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