Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Chart of the Day: Disney is cleaning up with Marvel

Marketplace Staff Nov 7, 2016

Chart of the Day: Disney is cleaning up with Marvel

Marketplace Staff Nov 7, 2016

Marvel’s latest, “Doctor Strange” cleaned up at the American box office this weekend, adding about $85 million to a more than $325 million worldwide gross. Crucially, the Sorcerer Supreme played by Benedict Cumberbatch is not an A-list comics book character. He’s not even second-teir, like Iron Man and Thor were (believe it or not) before they got movies. Doctor Strange is more like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy, other heroes Disney and Marvel have been able to mine for big box office returns. That idea is crucial to their business model, and it’s one rivals have tried to emulate. Listen to that story in the player below.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.