Caution! This post contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Sam Raimi's The Batman to become the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far, and the reasons for its success evidence Marvel's significance to the film industry. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness acts as a continuation of the character's MCU story, also following on from the events of Wandavision and Spider-Man: No Way Home to continue to explore the franchise's blossoming Multiverse. Earlier in the year, The Batman saw Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl to become the titular vigilante in a noir action-thriller that impressed critics and audiences alike, yet ultimately failed to enjoy as much success as Doctor Strange 2.
Doctor Strange 2 marked the MCU's theatrical return in 2022 and continued the franchise's trend of box office domination. Bringing back Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange and introducing Doctor Strange 2 is officially the highest-grossing film of the year so far.
Exactly how Doctor Strange 2 achieved this is less about quality and more about marketing. The MCU has established itself as the template for any burgeoning franchise: a wealth of interconnected narratives that inform one another, all adapted from decades of beloved comic book source material. Though The Batman shares a similar basis, its lack of a place within a wider franchise appears to have hindered it slightly - at least in comparison to the efforts of the MCU. This has allowed for Doctor Strange 2's success, even though its reviews have been generally less favorable than The Batman's.
The main difference between The Batman and Doctor Strange 2 is that the former is very much a standalone narrative. Doctor Strange 2 acts as a continuation of two of Marvel's most well-liked recent outputs (Wandavision and Spider-Man: No Way Home), and also teased the expansion of the franchise's wider narrative. Its place in the franchise sees it continue popular stories, but also, by definition, set up future movies and series with its far-reaching Multiversal implications.
The reputation of the MCU regarding its new releases usually containing exciting reveals also helps with its overall box office draw. Doctor Strange 2 saw John Krasinski appear as Mister Fantastic (at least in Earth-838) in an excellent nod to the long-time fan casting and potential tease of his reprising the role in the MCU's Fantastic Four. The Batman's place outside of an established franchise meant that some were likely more inclined to wait until the film's HBO Max streaming release to watch Robert Pattinson's debut as the Caped Crusader, but attempting to avoid spoilers for Doctor Strange 2 will have made the opposite true for the Marvel film, helping its total box office in the process.
Doctor Strange 2's box office suring The Batman's is almost certainly the result of the differences between the two movies' respective franchises. Though The Batman's positive reviews contributed to a healthy box office, its lack of ties to other properties meant that it was no match for the might of the MCU. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may not have matched The Batman in critical reception, but it has already broken its 2022 box office record.
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