Artnewspress: Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch believes that the success of the MCU helps bring viewers to watch his Oscar-worthy films.
It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is without a doubt the most successful film franchise in the world right now. The success of Kevin Feige’s MCU has led to much debate amongst people that follow film, with many defending it as necessary to the survival of theaters, while some such as Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese decrying the films as “not cinema” more akin to a theme park ride while preventing smaller films from playing in theaters. However, if you are Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch, you see a happy medium between both arguments.
Benedict Cumberbatch is headlining the MCU’s latest blockbuster, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is shaping up to be yet another massive hit at the box office. With the one-two punch of both that and Spider-Man: No Way Home under his belt, the actor certainly is riding high off of starring in the most successful film franchise in the world, but he is also enjoying the residual praise he’s received from his Oscar-nominated turn in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog.
An accomplished thespian, Benedict Cumberbatch is a performer that clearly enjoys the work, regardless of whether or not it is through his role as Doctor Strange in the MCU, or in his Oscar-worthy turns in The Power of the Dog and The Imitation Game. Given his recognition amongst millions of fans around the world, he expressed a belief that amidst the debate about the state of cinema, blockbusters can help lead viewers to check out films the wouldn’t see otherwise because of their pre-existing relationship to their work in established franchises. During the press conference for The Multiverse of Madness, the actor stated the following:
“I get fans of, you know, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans coming up to me, saying, ‘I loved you in Power of the Dog.’ And that’s just what it should all be about. This is a very wonderful broad spectrum of culture that I get to occupy, and it’s proof, living proof my career, I guess, the active proof that [LAUGH] there is room enough in our culture for both fair at any side or end or middle of a spectrum that requires all of it, all of it. And is it all nourishing. If Spider-Man gets people back into movie theaters to see The Power of the Dog, great.”
Oftentimes, fans of the MCU may not seek out films like The Power of the Dog, but if Doctor Strange himself is in fact the lead role of said film, maybe they’ll give it a chance. Benedict Cumberbatch understands the tried-and-true statement of the Hollywood actor, which is “One for you, and one for me.” In this case, he seems to thoroughly enjoy the work with both Marvel and Jane Campion, and with that in mind, perhaps him being a bridge to both worlds can lead comic book movie fans to broaden their cinematic horizons to check out some brilliant films.
Here is the synopsis for the new MCU film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Directed by Sam Raimi from a script written by Michael Waldron, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, and Patrick Stewart.
Noah Villaverde
