Movies Doctor Strange keeps Downton Abbey: A New Era decidedly downstairs at the weekend box office The Multiverse of Madness continues its dominance for a third week in a row though Downton did manage a proper debut. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 22, 2022 05:23PM EDT Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness keeps the Marvel Cinematic Universe's chokehold on the box office as strong as ever with its third week topping domestic and global returns. Meanwhile, Downton Abbey: A New Era opened in second domestically with $16 million. The out-of-this-and-every-world sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange conjured $31.6 million to claim the No. 1 spot, bringing its total to $342 million, while worldwide it's grossed an estimated $803 million. While still going strong, Stephen Strange and co. suffered a 49% drop, domestically, from its previous week. The Sorcerer Supreme prepares for invasion in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.'. Marvel Studios Downton Abbey: A New Era, the second installment based on Julian Fellowes' upstair-downstairs TV melodrama couldn't quite compete with the big budget bonanza of an MCU offering, though still managed to average $4,194 per theater for a second-place debut stateside. Globally, it performed a bit more modestly, coming in third behind South Korea's The Round Up, for a worldwide total of $35.7 million. 'Downton Abbey: A New Era'. Ben Blackall/Focus Features "You never know if more is going to be wanted," Fellowes previously said of continuing the Downton universe. "After every series, after the first film, and now after the second, each time I have said a heart-wrenching goodbye to these people ... and then here we are back again." The animated films The Bad Guys and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came in third and fourth, respectively, at the domestic box office while Men from Ex-Machina writer-director Alex Garland debuted in the fifth spot. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Doctor Strange 2 continues box office rule, extinguishes Firestarter How Sam Raimi made Marvel's trippiest, goriest film with the new Doctor Strange Carson gets help with his French in Downton Abbey: A New Era clip