Movies Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness conjures $185 million debut as second-largest pandemic open The Marvel movie is the No. 1 movie at the domestic (and global) box office, toppling The Batman as the biggest opening of 2022 so far. By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 8, 2022 04:08PM EDT Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast a spell over moviegoers this weekend and summoned a mystical $185 million debut at the domestic box office, becoming the second-largest opening during the pandemic. The Marvel film trails behind Spider-Man: No Way Home's $260 million debut, which continues its reign as the biggest pandemic opening. While Dr. Stephen Strange is no match for Spider-Man, he has, however, bested Batman: Multiverse of Madness nabbed The Batman's ($134 million) previously held title as the biggest domestic opening of 2022 so far, according to Comscore. Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as the titular Sorcerer Supreme in director Sam Raimi's sequel. When Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to another multiverse that includes alternative versions of himself, humanity becomes at stake. Elizabeth Olsen, Chewitel Ejioifor, Benedict Wong, Patrick Stewart, Xochitl Gomez, and Rachel McAdams also star in the follow-up to 2016's Doctor Strange. Rachel McAdams, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Xochitl Gomez in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'. Marvel Studios EW's Leah Greenblatt calls it the "loopiest, bloodiest Marvel movie yet" in her B review. "In a movie that already contains multitudes, finding a throughline can feel like reaching for a rope swing in the dark; characters are grounded in urgent emotional intimacy one moment, and throwing bolts of CG lightning at demon-octopi the next," Greenblatt writes. "In many ways, Strange is a mess, and probably 20 minutes too long at two hours (which in Marvel math, is still practically a haiku). It's rarely boring though, down to the last obligatory post-credit scene — whether or not there's method in the Madness." Meanwhile, The Bad Guys is No. 2 at the domestic box office. It grossed an additional $9.7 million by Sunday, bringing its North American total to $57 million. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 follows in third place with an additional $6.2 million, bringing its total to $169 million. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is No. 4 with an additional $3.9 million and $86 million overall. And because the multiverse is so hot right now, Everything Everywhere All at Once rounds out the top five; the interdimensional epic earned an additional $3.3 million this weekend, bringing its total to an impressive $41.5 million. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Illuminati? Incursions? We answer your Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness questions Let's break down those Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness end-credits scenes Patrick Stewart says a 'reappearance' in MCU might be possible after Doctor Strange cameo