A fortnight after the local theatrical release of Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the film is now reported to be the Highest Grossing Film in the Philippines in 2022. Fans of the Marvel franchise expressed their warm reception of the movie as it created new records in the Philippines: the 9th highest opening film of all time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 10th in the highest opening of all time for a Disney film, and placed 13th in terms of the highest opening weekend of all time in the local box office.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiered in the Philippines on May 4, 2022. It is a sequel to its first installation, Doctor Strange (2016). The movie follows the narrative of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who connives with both old and new mystical allies – Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and Wong (Benedict Wong), among others – to unlock the secrets of the Multiverse and push its boundaries further than ever before. The film is a work of award-winning filmmaker Sam Raimi, and produced by Kevin Feige.
Viewers can catch Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by checking the showtimes on https://movies.disney.ph/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness. Will Strange defeat emerging threats coming his and his allies’ ways? Join the conversations online by using the hashtag #DoctorStrangePH.
The much-awaited sequel to the 2016 Doctor Strange is finally here. And it’s not for the faint-hearted. “Someone once told me, that the reality I thought I knew, was just one of the many,” Dr. Stephen Strange in the final trailer.
Watch the trailer below:
In a global press conference, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron, director Sam Raimi, producer and president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, are joined by stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, and newcomer Xochitl Gomez to talk about the movie’s last minute script changes, Doctor Strange’s character shift, and more.
The press conference begun with Marvel Studios producer and president Kevin Feige talking about his 20-year moment. “I was a young producer who just felt lucky to be in the same room with director Sam Raimi, and now I’m an old producer that just feels lucky to be in the same room with him.”
Sam Raimi who is dubbed as “the godfather of modern superhero filmmaking” shares that making Doctor Strange now has become a lot easier technology-wise compared to when he was working on the Spider-Man trilogy. He emphasizes though that the thing that didn’t change is having great actors and them knowing that the most important thing they can do is within themselves. “These are great actors and they know what it’s like to be a human being. They have a vast set of experiences that they are not afraid to pull into their performances, and they know their characters very well.”
Benedict Cumberbatch on his favorite part of exploring other sides of Doctor Strange
A sequel we’ve all been waiting for, Cumberbatch shares that this multiversal narrative structure is like it is in our own lives. He explains by saying that we have multiple roles and have an incredible capacity and imaginative space in our subconscious to imagine ourselves into different circumstances in our dream scape. “Conversations not just with me as an actor with my character, but with the character and other versions of the character.”
“To shift the attitude or the mannerisms or the abilities and show same but different. And it’s a fine balance where we pushed it on some levels and less so on others and just very much, the finessing skill that Sam has to hold all this complexity and go with what makes most sense for our hero, for the story.”
Fresh from WandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen who plays Scarlet Witch talks about her approach to her character after the miniseries. “I feel like in the previous films before WandaVision, I took up a lane for storytelling that was more grounded in sincerity, love, loss, and grief.” She also shares that she was able to become anything and everything in WandaVision, and have grown her into a woman. “I hope that in this film, people see the continuation of her acceptance of who she is and the journey that she has taken to this moment. I feel like she has way more clarity now than ever.”
On showcasing Scarlet Witch’s greatest strength, Sam Raimi says that Wanda is the classic character that loved not too wisely but too well. “I think that’s a source of many of her aspirations in the film, and sometimes leads to less happy moments for her.” Raimi emphasizes that Lizzie [Elizabeth Olsen] did a great job summing up her approach.
The newest member of the cast, Xochitl Gomez joins the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] as America Chavez who has the ability to jump through different universes. When asked on who she had taken the biggest cue from being able to perform alongside MCU veterans, she says “all these people are great but in particular, I looked at Lizzie [Olsen] especially while she’s acting and getting ready to do the scene.” She also shares that she learned so much from her and she doesn’t even know it.
Sam Raimi on last-minute script changes and bringing his beloved horror elements into the MCU
Believe it or not, there were some last-minute script changes according to Sam Raimi. “They know their characters better than anybody so they’ll recognize in playing of the scene that this is untrue — this feels like a manipulation or it could be more real.” He also adds that when you have a great team, you want to pull the best of their ideas together and make something better than you could have made on your own.
“Great actors, great ideas, a script that constantly changing. But it was a very lively process.” Viewers must also take note that they had other movies that they have storylines from that should be taken into consideration. WandaVision had just finished or Spider-Man: No Way Home was also shooting, and Doctor Strange referenced those films. They had to have meetings with the director to know what Doctor Strange knows by the end of No Way Home, or if he remembers the multiverse and screenwriter Michael Waldron had to take the changes in the moment and ripple through their movie. “It’s probably for a writer like improv is for an actor. These movies are reacting, making up, changing things, and you have to be in the moment and take it in and go with it.”
When asked about bringing his horror elements into the MCU, Sam Raimi shares “it was great. When Kevin announced that this movie would be the first entry into Marvel putting their toe into the world of horror, I was thrilled that he called me to talk about the possibility of directing the picture.” He shares that he was able to take those horror films that he has made in his youth and what he had learned from them building suspense sequences and titillating the audience.
Kevin Feige on keeping all of the twists, the secret, and the surprises for MCU
Before the press conference ended, Kevin Feige was asked about keeping all of the twists, the secrets, and the surprises for MCU and he answers with “the unfortunate truth is, you don’t, and therefore you need to make sure that the experience itself works regardless of what has been spoiled or not.” He is hopeful that when somebody steals something, they don’t spread it around because it just potentially lessens the experience. Unfazed by these, he adds “but in a lot of ways, No Way Home showed that it did not lessen the experience so we will continue to do the best that we can, but the most important thing is, delivering the movie or the show that delivers regardless of what you know going in.”
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Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madnessis now showing in Philippine cinemas. Buy your tickets here.
After seeing ‘WandaVision,’ I was so very stoked to watch ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ It’s no secret that Wanda Maximoff is my favorite character in the MCU and her appearance in the film made it a must-see movie for me. The MCU has been quite successful, in my opinion, in translating the joy of reading comics and graphic novels into the film medium. It satisfies my childhood need to see superheroes in action, facing insurmountable odds, and (more often than not) dealing with the gray areas of the good versus bad/right versus wrong dynamics in the world in a bombastic cinematic experience.
But the MCU has a particular type. There’s a certain look and feel to each MCU despite its variety of directors and scriptwriters. The only two films in the MCU that feel different and have the mark of its individual directors were Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and Chloe Zhao’s ‘Eternals.’
But now Sam Raimi’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ joins the ranks.
As much as this is an MCU movie, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is a Sam Raimi film. As much as Benedict Cumberbatch is the star as Doctor Strange, the spotlight of this film has to be Sam Raimi and his pitch perfect direction. He’s turned this story into a playground for his indelible style.
Under Sam Raimi’s exceptional and out-of-the-box vision, the movie is playful and unexpected. It has twists and turns – some you see coming, others surprise you along the way and keeps you on your toes – and it’s done with such stylistic flair that makes it feel so new and refreshing and, as a cinematic product, makes full use of the medium.
Raimi’s transitions between scenes are clever and visually arresting. He peppers the film with jump scares and hauntingly loud horror music by Danny Elfman. It has a lot of trademark Sam Raimi (who is famous for the first three ‘Spider-man’ films with Tobey Maguire, ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ and the cult series ‘The Evil Dead’ and ‘Army of Darkness’). There are surprising extreme close-ups, camera angles in the point-of-view of either the object or a hidden character, the aforementioned jump scares, and so on.
Photo: Marvel.com
The story of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ involves the titular character facing a powerful enemy to protect a young girl, America Chavez (played with great confidence by Xochitl Gomez), whose powers has made her a target for the said-powerful adversary. Her ability – to be able to traverse the different universes – would be too powerful and damaging in the wrong hands. In an effort to save her, he is thrown into various universes, alternate realities that are similar to the one we’ve been following in the MCU but with variations.
So Sam Raimi’s direction even gives the feeling that we are watching an alternate type of MCU movie. The effect is dazzling. What also makes it enjoyable is that scriptwriter Michael Waldron manages to forego traditional narrative forms to really put Dr. Strange, America Chavez, and Wanda as the leads without taking away from Doctor Strange that this is his movie. Each character has something to face within themselves but since we’ve really explored so much of Doctor Strange and Wanda in previous MCU installments whether on TV or film, he doesn’t bow down to too much character development.
Photo: Marvel.com
He doesn’t have to. Instead, the film really gives us endless possibilities by exploring the many different worlds and realities in the MCU. This gives the film a lot of chances to do fan service moments without major repercussions to the main reality while giving its main characters a big enough impetus to change.
I’m a little short on details because, in an effort to keep this review spoiler-free, I have to paint this critique in generalizations and broad strokes. This film is centered on the cinematic experience – any spoilers may ruin the audience’s involvement – but there’s also a lot happening that I am inclined to watch again; and in 3D, if possible, because the visuals are just amazing.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen must have had an enjoyable time being able to play with these characters and their different iterations in the realities offered. As actors, this must have been fun for them and you can see it in their performances. Benedict Wong manages to keep Wong as a solid character that can ground Doctor Strange, and Rachel McAdams is not relegated as an accessory to the cast. There’s enough meat for her character to play within this film.
Photo: Marvel.com
This is a perfect MCU movie, up there with ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ‘Avengers: End Game,’ wherein the film is aware of the audience’s expectations and plays with them in fun and surprising ways. And with the added touch of Sam Raimi’s direction, it is elevated into a wonderfully delightful experience that is surprising, refreshing, and makes you want more. While I was completely satisfied with the two hours and six-minute run time of the film, I wanted more of it.
So, I guess, I’ll just have to go to the cinema again to take it all in. But this time, I want to see it in 3D.
My Rating:
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Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madnessis now showing in Philippine cinemas. Buy your tickets here.
Tonight in Hollywood, stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, Jett Klyne, Julian Hilliard, Sheila Atim, Adam Hugill and Charlie Norton joined director Sam Raimi, producer Kevin Feige, executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Eric Carroll and Scott Derrickson, screenwriter Michael Waldron and composer Danny Elfman for a walk down the red carpet to celebrate the world premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
Check out photos from the premiere below:
Benedict Cumberbatch
Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” opens in Philippine cinemas today, May 4.
Elizabeth Olsen
In Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending anddangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Xochitl Gomez
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stühlbarg, and Rachel McAdams.
The film is directed by Sam Raimi, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Eric Hauserman Carroll, Scott Derrickson, and Jamie Christopher serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Michael Waldron.
We’re making movie night plans much easier for you with this rundown of films opening soon in cinemas nationwide!
From the highly anticipated Doctor Strange sequel to Tom Cruise’s return to the big screen as Maverick, here are the new movies in Philippine cinemas for the month of May.
Doctor Strange journeys to the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse along with the help of mystical allies to confront a mysterious new adversary.
The global phenomenon return to the big screen, as the beloved characters from ‘Downton Abbey‘ journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited villa.
Friday, May 20 [NOTE: The new release date of this film is moved to July 27, 2022]
Best friends Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman share the same superpowers and fight crime in Metropolis. When Kypto’s BFF the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto rounds up other pets—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel—to master their own powers and help rescue the superheroes.
Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is now a trainer of a new generation of TOPGUN graduates for a special mission, which includes Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the son of his late best friend ‘Goose.’ Maverick faces an uncertain future and must confront the ghosts of his past, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
Today Marvel Studios debuted a brand-new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that took viewers on a mind-blowing whirlwind through the Multiverse. In addition, Marvel Studios also released a new poster for the supernatural adventure—available now.
In Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stühlbarg, and Rachel McAdams.
The film is directed by Sam Raimi, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Eric Hauserman Carroll and Jamie Christopher serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Michael Waldron.
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” releases in Philippine cinemas May 2022.
