Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theatres in India on 6 May but even ahead of its release, the film has sold almost five times as many tickets as its prequel worldwide. After presales opened on 6 April, the film made $42 million in pre-release sales worldwide and according to Fandango’s estimates might be leading in pre-release tickets in 2022.
In India, theatres have screenings for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as early as 6.30 AM and the film has also surpassed the advance booking numbers of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It remains to be seen if the film can continue this trend on opening day but till then, let’s see how Doctor Strange 2 marketed itself.
Sam Raimi and Kevin Feige—The Iconic Duo Reunites
When it comes to the film’s makers, there are some big names involved in the project. Sam Raimi, who has already proved his mettle as a storyteller and filmmaker in the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire. Through Raimi’s vision, the films were huge success stories for Marvel and the director’s penchant for horror gave fans terrifying and iconic Spider-Man villains done right.
Now the Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, Kevin Feige has been an irreplaceable part of Marvel’s superhero offerings. Placing these two exemplary creators on the same project, almost 20 years after Spider-Man, was bound to contribute to the hype for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Post-Credits and Official Trailer
There’s no hiding that Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive success globally and at the domestic box office with many claiming that it saved the Spider-Man franchise. The decision to introduce a new Doctor Strange film to an audience just out of watching a film like that is a smart one. Even if you’re not a fan and you’ve just watched No Way Home, there is a huge chance that you believe in the grandiose MCU films now.
A studio that makes something so great must know what they’re doing. So why would Doctor Strange 2 be any different? The post-credit scenes also introduced the audience to how grand and delightfully consuming the film was going to be. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the titular character (Benedict Cumberbatch) dives deeper into the multiverse to save a teenager America Chavez.
The post-credit scene and the trailer both gave fans enough fodder to chew on without revealing anything at all. Fans were shown that Doctor Strange will face formidable monsters and enemies, including a sinister version of himself. How does the powerful sorcerer battle himself? On the other hand, there’s Elizabeth Olsen who returns as Wanda Maximoff (or after the events of WandaVision, as Scarlet Witch).
The Scarlet Witch, considered by many to be one of the most powerful magical beings in the world, is an ally or a foe? The trailers left fans with more questions than answers, only adding to the film’s mystery.
Repeated Teasers and the Final Trailer
Since the trailer dropped, Marvel has been dropping cryptic teasers and snippets from the film revealing little but teasing a whole lot. Marvel dropped the ‘Final trailer’ for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness a day ahead of its release. The trailer cuts between scenes from the film and scenes from the ‘past’ or simply put, previous films and shows.
Cumberbatch as a sorcerer who seemingly destroyed everything and Olsen as the Scarlet Witch, a magical being who sacrificed everything, seemingly for nothing. When these two come together in a film, mixed with Sam Raimi’s skill, it has definitely left fans asking for more as any comment section would tell you.
The teasers have also given glimpses into America Chavez, played by and has introduced some of the returning cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer. Then there are the celebrity cameos fans had guessed from the start but no spoilers here.
With a promotional campaign, there is always a danger of revealing too much or too little. Since the setting of Doctor Strange 2 is so complicated and the video snippets so fast-paced, the promotions for the film found a perfect middle.
Previous Marvel Offerings and a Great Cast
Marvel has been on a roll with its Phase 4 releases, both in theatres and on OTT. A huge factor of the anticipation for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the Marvel releases that came before it. Spider-Man: No Way Home had given but a glimpse into the implications of a multiverse when compared to the chaos the trailers show for the latest Doctor Strange flick.
When a simple glimpse can wreck that much havoc, what happens when a film focuses completely on the multiverse? The fact that there are multiple versions of every character (well, almost every) makes the trailers and teasers even harder to decipher.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows the events of several Marvel offerings like Spider-Man: No Way Home, WandaVision, and What…If? to a certain extent. The success and hype attached to these shows thus obviously translated to the hype for Doctor Strange 2.
Marvel also dropped videos from the world premiere which was attended by the film’s cast and actors who’ve been a part of the MCU. Be it Elizabeth Olsen’s heartwarming demeanor, Cumberbatch ‘Dr Strange’ running on the street or Gomez's heady excitement for her MCU debut, these little glimpses went a long way.
The videos Marvel released from the premiere bank on the actors’ fans and their natural charm which plays into the fandoms that are excited to see their characters on the big screen.
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