Last night, Marvel Studios released their highly-anticipatedMarvel Phase 3adventureDoctor Strange, which is expected to open big at the box office this weekend. The superhero adventure got off to a good start, taking in $9.4 million from Thursday night preview screenings, besting the Thursday night tallies of several hit superhero movies.Doctor Strangemanaged to earn more than the Thursday grosses ofX-Men: Apocalypse($8.2 million),Thor: The Dark World($7.1 million) andAnt-Man($6.4 million) as it heads into its opening weekend.
Deadlinereports that while this Thursday night tally is certainly a respectable showing, it is nowhere close to the Marvel Studios Thursday record.Avengers: Age Of Ultronearned a whopping $27.6 million on its opening Thursday last summer, which lead to an $84.4 million opening day and a $191.2 million opening weekend. Earlier this summer,Captain America: Civil Warmade $25 million on Thursday, leading up to a $75.5 million opening day and a $179.1 millionopening weekend.
Doctor Strangealso added $10.6 million at theinternational box office, bringing its foreign total to $133 million. As of now, its best international market is Korea, with the superhero adventure earning $22.2 million in that country, followed by the United Kingdom with $15 million and France with $8.6 million. The film will open in the all-important Chinese market starting today, and it is scheduled to open in Japan on January 27.
Doctor Strangehad an impressive international debut last weekend with $86 million.Doctor Strangeis scheduled to open in approximately 3,882 theaters this weekend, and it is already a critical hit with a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Box office analystshave been predicting anywhere between an $75 million and an $85 million opening weekend forDoctor Strange.
From Marvel Studios comesDoctor Strange, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr.Stephen Strangewhose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place-a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long,Doctor Strange, armed with newly acquired magical powers-is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. Check back on Sunday to see howDoctor Strangefares at the box office this weekend.
