The summer movie season is off to a blockbuster start thanks to "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness". The superhero extravaganza grossed an estimated $185 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, the Walt Disney Co. said Sunday. 

Not only did it more than double the opening of the first "Doctor Strange", which opened to $85 million in 2016, it's also the biggest opener of the year, ahead of "The Batman's" $134 million; the second biggest of the pandemic, behind "Spider-Man: Far From Home's" $260.1 million; and the sixth biggest of all time globally.

Internationally, it's doing even better with an estimated $265 million since opening Wednesday. In total, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" has already made $450 million.

Spider-Man is at least partially to thank for the massive debut. Benedict Cumberbatch's powerful sorcerer appeared prominently in "Spider-Man: No Way Home", which has become the third biggest movie of all time since opening in December. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" picks up several months after the events of "No Way Home," and brings in Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, who became even more popular thanks to the recent Disney+ series "WandaVision."

Read more

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Worth the wait?

The film also has a gigantic footprint. It's playing in 4,534 theaters in the U.S. and Canada alone, which according to Disney is the seventh widest opening ever. Premium format screens, including IMAX and 3D, accounted for 36% of the overall box office.

"Summer blockbuster season is off to a roaring start with 'Doctor Strange' — an excellent sign for the phenomenal slate ahead," Rich Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, said in a statement.

Hollywood's summer movie season typically kicks off in early May and runs through the end of August and — aside from the last two years — regularly accounts for over $4 billion in ticket sales (or about 40% of the year's grosses). 

Sam Raimi stepped up to direct "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which reportedly cost around $200 million to make — though that number doesn't account for the many more millions spent on marketing and promotion. 

Over the weekend, the film has trended on social media for everything from its many cameos to a spirited debate over its PG-13 rating and whether or not the horror elements warranted something more restrictive.

"This is a total win for the industry for whom the last two summers almost didn't exist in terms of box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "Marvel has been kicking off summers for over a decade. This is a return to normalcy." 

There was little left for other movies playing in theaters. Part of that is due to the fact that many multiplexes chose to pack their theaters with wall-to-wall "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" screenings. Film Critic Matt Singer tweeted a photo a Manhattan AMC offering 70 screenings on Thursday alone. 

Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "The Bad Guys" fell to second place in its third weekend with an estimated $9.8 million, while "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," from Paramount, landed in third with $6.2 million. 

"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" took fourth with $3.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $86 million. And in fifth place was another multiverse-themed film, "Everything Everywhere All At Once." It had a slight dip in its seventh weekend, but is still speeding along with an additional $3.3 million from 1,542 screens in its seventh weekend in theaters. The A24 film has grossed $41.6 million total.

The success of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" only helps build momentum for the big summer movies on the way, like "Top Gun: Maverick" on May 27. 

"We've got a real summer movie season on our hands, something we couldn't have imagined two years ago," Dergarabedian said. "It's been a long time coming."