It's manor vs. Marvel as 'Downton Abbey' hits theaters
It's looking like another Strange weekend at the movies, as two new releases look to court specialty box office dollars but face tough odds in trying to bump Disney's (NYSE:DIS) No. 1 film.
Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (DIS) heads into its third weekend having made $306.6 million in domestic theaters to date, and a total of $413 million overseas, for a global total of $719.6 million. This weekend, it's likely to surpass The Batman (WBD) as the top 2022 grosser worldwide.
And the first contender looking to take over from the Marvel film is Downton Abbey: A New Era (NASDAQ:CMCSA) - a sequel to a 2019 film based on the hit British TV series that reached $96.9 million in domestic grosses and $192.2 million worldwide. That earlier film opened to $31 million, so if Doctor Strange drops off heavily (it grossed $61.8 million last weekend), there could be a chance for the upscale drama.
The other wide release may have a bigger challenge despite critical praise: Men (A24), the latest film from director Alex Garland, is a challenging psychological horror outing. Garland's first film, Ex Machina, opened below $1 million and ended up grossing $25.4 million domestically; follow-up Annihilation opened to $11 million and wrapped with a cumulative domestic gross of $32.7 million.
In any case, it's a chance for all three films to try to make bank before next weekend, when Paramount (PARA) (PARAA) drops surefire winner Top Gun: Maverick on top screens across the country.