'Doctor Strange' bewitches the box office with $85 million opening

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - All is well in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as “Doctor Strange” bested all predictions and opened to a fantastic $85 million ($84,989,000 if you’re counting pennies). Bolstered by solid reviews from critics and audiences alike, “Doctor Strange” is the latest success story to come from Marvel Studios. What makes it most impressive is that these numbers are being put up by a character that, while rather legendary among comic book readers, isn’t all that well known to the general public. Clearly, audiences are willing to take a leap of faith when it comes to Marvel’s lesser-known titles. Worldwide, the film has already earned $325 million.

In second place is DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls” with $45 million. That’s not a particularly robust number, but I suspect the film will hold fairly well. Factor in that the film has already earned $104 million abroad, where the film was released a few weeks ago, and I think it is far too early for DreamWorks to be too concerned at this point. CinemaScore has audiences giving the film an "A," so word of mouth should help.

In third place is Mel Gibson’s World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge” with $14.7 million. This is one of the few weeks in recent memory where the top three slots went to new releases.

In fourth place is “Boo! A Madea Halloween” with $7.8 million. The Tyler Perry comedy has now earned nearly $65 million.

Coming in fifth is “Inferno” with $6.2 million. For “Inferno” that’s a devastating drop of 58 percent, bringing its domestic total to $26 million. The good news for Sony is that the film has already cleared the $150 million mark overseas. As shocking as it might seem, “Inferno” appears to be headed for a profit in spite of its tepid U.S. box office.