‘Doctor Strange’ Poised for Spellbinding $73 Million Domestic Debut
Disney-Marvel’s magic-filled “Doctor Strange” is staring down a $73 million opening at the domestic box office this weekend and has already amassed $99 million overseas.
Overall, the comic book movie is poised to bring in a tidy sum from 3,882 locations this weekend on a sizable production budget of $165 million — not counting marketing costs.
“Trolls,” which features the voices of pop stars Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani, along with Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, and more, is expected to debut at $47 million once the weekend is through, though studio heads are estimating closer to the high 30s.
The animated feature, made for a reported $125 million, revolves around an extremely happy Troll named Poppy (Kendrick), who teams up with the grumpy Branch (Timberlake) to rescue her friends from invaders.
If it meets the high end of estimates, “Trolls” will be the fourth biggest opening of the year for an animated feature, behind Disney’s “Zootopia” — which went on to top $1 billion worldwide.
Among Hollywood studios, Disney currently has the largest market share of box office grosses this year with $2.15 billion, or 24.5 percent.
“Doctor Strange” follows the story of talented neurosurgeon Dr. 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, 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.