- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
Marvel's 'Doctor Strange' tests appeal of movie 'multiverse'
After 27 box office-shattering blockbusters, the Marvel superhero films have no more worlds to conquer -- so they are headed off to parallel universes instead.
The highly anticipated "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," out Friday, sends Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer hopping between colorful, creepy and downright bizarre new dimensions, with the help of teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
It explores the "multiverse" concept popularized by superhero comic books, in which infinite universes -- and infinite versions of each hero and villain -- exist side-by-side.
"Oh yeah, we crack that door wide open," said Cumberbatch at this week's Los Angeles world premiere.
"And I'll tell you one thing about it. It's beautiful. It's very, very beautiful."
But for a Hollywood franchise that has thrived by making the sometimes arcane world of comic-book lore accessible to the broadest possible audiences, is it all getting a little too complicated?
"Multiverse of Madness" -- the second standalone "Doctor Strange" movie -- is packed with references not just to films that preceded it, but also to Disney+ television series "WandaVision" and "Loki."
A review from The Hollywood Reporter says the parallel universes concept -- on top of Marvel films' previous time-travel forays -- "starts to look like a franchise-sustaining crutch."
Marvel films already contain "a practically infinite number of weird characters and unlikely events" without the "rapidly aging plot device" of parallel universes, wrote reviewer John Defore.
Variety's Owen Gleiberman said Marvel is already "the kind of place that even the most ardent comic-book fans have to dedicate themselves to keeping up with."
Gleiberman called the film "a ride, a head trip... a what-is-reality Marvel brainteaser and, at moments, a bit of an ordeal."
"It's a somewhat engaging mess, but a mess all the same."
- 'Perfect time' -
Still, recent history has taught Hollywood watchers to never underestimate the allure of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" (MCU).
The franchise turned conventional wisdom about attention spans of Gen Z teens upside-down with hits like 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" -- the culmination of more than 20 interconnected movies and storylines going back to the original "Iron Man" (2008).
It earned almost $2.8 billion at the global box office, briefly becoming the highest grossing film of all time.
"Marvel are the epitome of success in Hollywood right now," said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations.
"And that's why when we talk about $150 million, $200 million openings, nobody blinks an eye anymore."
Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said last week that planning for "the next decade" of the superhero films is well underway.
And the concept of multiple versions of beloved characters has already been successful, including December's smash hit "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
"Characters have come out of other universes into our own in the last Spider-Man picture," said director Sam Raimi at Monday's premiere.
"But this will be the first time that characters from our MCU journey out into other universes."
Beyond the Marvel franchise, the recent, critically adored indie sci-fi hit "Everything Everywhere All at Once" also explores the idea of parallel universes.
"I think 'Doctor Strange' actually hits at the perfect time because everybody's still talking about how great this multiverse concept is -- it's not played out," said Bock.
- 'Opening a box' -
So far, "Multiverse of Madness" has a highly respectable -- if below the Marvel average -- 79 percent on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
IndieWire called the movie a "a violent, wacky, drag-me-to-several-different-hells at once funhouse of a film."
"We are opening a box. And there's going to be a lot of opportunities for storytelling moving forward," said Elizabeth Olsen, who reprises her role as Wanda Maximoff.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what we do with that."
P.Mathewson--AMWN