Why Doctor Strange 2 got the second-worst audience Score of any MCU film

While Marvel is accustomed for generating anticipation with their film marketing, Multiverse of Madness may have over-promised. Courtesy: Ma...

While Marvel is accustomed for generating anticipation with their film marketing, Multiverse of Madness may have over-promised.

Courtesy: Marvel Studio

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuted this weekend as another Marvel paradox of a film that doesn't quite reach the heights in terms of industry ratings, but is on track to become the year's biggest film by a wide margin, with a $200 opening weekend box office. Despite conflicting reviews from critics, the latest Doctor Strange adventure has received the second-lowest CinemaScore of the MCU films to yet.

Doctor Strange, Wong, Wanda Maximoff, and America Chavez have taken audiences on a mind-bending journey through the multiverse, and while the interconnected film is wowed audiences and racing towards a huge opening weekend box office, it has received a B+ CinemaScore, which is tied with Thor and just beats out Eternals, which received a B. However, despite being one of the only Marvel films to not receive an A, it is still a good film, especially since the ratings range from A to F.

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CinemaScore ratings are not the same as aggregated reviewer rankings on sites like Rotten Tomatoes; instead, they are based on questions given on opening night and are more about expectation vs. reality. Whether Marvel's persistent teasing of more cameos and dimensions resulted in disappointment, the score reflects the film's marketing rather than the film itself. While no explanation is given as to why fan expectations were not exceeded, the audience figures for Multiverse of Madness appear to have been unaffected.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness benefits greatly from having seen at least some of the MCU movies before seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as the series's movies have become well recognised for linking with part entries in the franchise. The film is, however, the first to feature storylines from a Marvel Studios' Disney+ series, with a loose relationship to Loki but, more importantly, the events of WandaVision.

WandaVision chronicled Wanda Maximoff's tale after the events of Avengers: Endgame, culminating in Wanda changing into Scarlet Witch and obtaining the Darkhold, a black magic book.While it is easy to follow Wanda's journey with only a few information, the film does provide a few of explanation moments to aid people who haven't watched WandaVision or who have forgotten what happened.

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Along with revealing the multiverse, the latest Doctor Strange film also warns viewers that understanding only the MCU movies may not be enough in the future to get the whole experience. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe releasing a slew of new TV episodes and films in the coming year, now could be a good time to catch up on the full Marvel library, which is available on Disney+.