
According to Disney, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness raked in an amazing $27.2 million on Wednesday from 20 overseas markets. The figure excludes advance grosses in Latin America and Australia.
Doctor Strange 2‘s international opening day gross is pacing only 4% behind the latest Spider-Man film, and 210% ahead of competitor DC’s The Batman. It outperformed the 2016 release of Doctor Strange by a factor of 153%. Stephen Strange has subsequently featured in further MCU films, including a significant role in No Way Home.

North American audiences will get their first look at the Sam Raimi-directed sequel, which features Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character, on Thursday night. The next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expected to bring in between $160 million and $180 million in its home debut and over $300 million worldwide, according to tracking estimates. More optimistic analysts place those amounts higher but admit that it all hinges on how front-load the $200 million blockbuster is.