The Marvel Cinematic Universe's cultural dominance hasn't stopped with Doctor Strange 2 - but there's a far madder multiverse movie in cinemas right now.
Benedict Cumberbatch's debut as the MCU's cloaked sorcerer was a modest success: it opened to positive reviews and grossed more than $677 million (£553m) worldwide.
It's the character's later appearances which have bolstered his popularity: Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and notably, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which ripped open the multiverse and let two other Spider-Men through the cosmic waterspout.
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Check out the trailer for Everything Everywhere All at Once below:
The latter record-breaking blockbuster set the stage for another mega-hit with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Yes, it's had good reviews and handsome box office returns, but it's not the multiversal adventure you should be seeking out.
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24's latest movie, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as Daniels), isn't just a good movie: it's one of the best movies to hit the big screen this year.
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As per the studio's official description: "The film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can't seem to finish her taxes."
It also stars Ke Huy Quan, most famous for playing Indiana Jones' peppy sidekick Short Round in The Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies.
Better performances? Check. A plot with emotional, relatable stakes? Check. A movie with a multiverse that's actually mad, and not just lots of different versions of New York? Check. Actual innovation and joy beyond fan-service? Big check.
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Jamie Lee Curtis hasn't minced her words on this front. Sharing a screenshot of praise for the movie, she wrote: "I think people have been starved [for] original content. Something that is truly MARVELOUS.
"I think what we've been fed for a while is MARVEL-LESS and the originality and deep emotional core of @everythingeverywhere is why this movie is so darn SATISFYING."
While the difference in critical reception hardly constitutes a rift (Doctor Strange 2 has a 74 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while Everything Everywhere All at Once has 96 percent), other critics have noted the MCU's shortcomings in comparison.
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For example, The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey described it as 'an ingenious, nuanced multiverse that leaves Marvel in the dust' and a 'film that really understands what the infinite might look like'.
Both Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Everything Everywhere All at Once are in cinemas now. Choose wisely. Or see both.
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Topics: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Film and TV, Entertainment
Cameron Frew