It may be losing top spot around the globe to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but Marvel’s Doctor Strange continues to pull in the big bucks at the box office, with the Phase Three origin story cracking $500 million worldwide.
Doctor Strange has grossed $163.9 million domestically, with a further $341 million from international markets, giving it a global haul of $504.9 million going into the weekend. The movie will surpass Ant-Man’s $519.3 million haul this weekend, and will likely overtake the $585.2 million gross of the original Iron Man, which would make it the ninth-highest grossing chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Next up would be Iron Man 2 on $623.9 million and Thor: The Dark World on $644.6 million.
Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.
Doctor Strange sees Scott Derrickson (Sinister) directing a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer) as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong (The Martian) as Wong, Rachel McAdams (True Detective) as Christine Palmer, Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) as Kaecilius and Benjamin Bratt (The Infiltrator) as Jonathan Pangborn and Scott Adkins (Ninja: Shadow of a Tear) as Lucian.