Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Doctor Strange (2016) and the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The score or rating of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Doctor Strange 2 on the Rotten Tomatoes review page is lower than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) average. Reported on the Screen Rant page, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness got its first review and the score it got on Rotten Tomatoes was slightly below public expectations.
The film was originally expected to truly open up the Marvel film multiverse, so its critical reception and financial performance could have a major influence on Marvel’s future film plans. After the comic book boom of the 2000s with Spider-Man, director Sam Raimi is back at the helm of another Marvel film, none other than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The previous film was directed by Scott Derrickson.
This time around, actress Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximov, joins Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in what has been dubbed the MCU’s “scariest” film. This also makes the MCU even more wide open after Avengers Endgame Phase 4 continues to be revealed.
With its first stage review, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has a Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 75 percent. Even though it was a Fresh score, it was lower than the previous MCU average of 84 percent.
It also makes the film the only MCU work other than The Incredible Hulk or Thor: The Dark World to score Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes but not get the bonus Rotten Tomatoes certified Fresh seal. Just two MCU releases ago, Eternals received the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the MCU with 47 percent.
There are only a total of four films in the franchise that score lower than 75 percent, placing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as the 24th-ranked film out of 28 total MCU releases.
In comparison, the first Doctor Strange film had a higher Rotten Tomatoes score of 89 percent. A 14-point drop to 75 percent for the sequel might seem a bit extreme, the audience score only dropping three points from 85 percent to 82 percent.
While audience and critique scores are both highly subjective, Rotten Tomatoes audience scores have a much stronger relationship to best-performing films than critics score on Tomatometer.
Overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has a solid Rotten Tomatoes score of 75 percent, albeit by the high standards set by many of the other 27 MCU releases to date. Ultimately, all reviews are subjective, the high scores given to films on Rotten Tomatoes don’t necessarily apply to everyone.
Obviously, as 20 percent of the critics didn’t give it a positive score, but it’s fair to say Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue the near-impeccable history of MCU’s Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
