There are less than two months left until Doctor Strange hits theaters and introduces moviegoers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Sorcerer Supreme. The movie will also introduce magic into the MCU for the first time and expand that universe into a multiverse, opening up whole new realms of possibility for storytelling.
Marvel’s marketing team seems to be putting a great deal of effort into setting audience expectations for the movie ahead of time, offering a prelude comic to explain some of its magic elements and releasing several promotional featurettes to lay out key plot and character details and prepare audiences for the “mind trip action film” that they are promising Doctor Strange will be. Now Marvel is putting out yet another featurette, but this one is for certain audiences only.
Those audiences are fans traveling to either the Disneyland theme park in California or Disney World in Florida, according to the official Disney Parks Blog. There will be different previews shown at each theme park, with the Disneyland featurette being shown in 3D with “special in-theater effects,” whereas the offering at Disney World will be presented as part of the “One Man’s Dream” attraction celebrating Walt Disney’s “legendary creative legacy.”
How much of those featurettes will be clips of the movie unavailable elsewhere is unknown. With the amount of material Marvel Studios has put out already, there is bound to be some overlap. In other words, maybe don’t make a special trip to those theme parks just for the Doctor Strange exclusives. However, for those whose travel plans already included a trip to either park, it does offer an opportunity to get better acquainted with the Doctor before he joins the MCU. The 3D offering at Disneyland at the very least offers audiences the opportunity to decide if they want to see the full movie in 3D when it hits theaters–which director Scott Derrickson recommends–or maybe just stick to the cheaper 2D version instead.
Disney has been taking advantage of cross-promotional opportunities with their Marvel Studios acquisition for a while now (including the recent announcement of a Guardians of the Galaxy ride), so it is no surprise that they’re taking advantage of their theme parks to promote Doctor Strange. Park attendees will be able to see the previews starting on October 7, with the movie’s full theatrical release following that by less than a month.
Next: Doctor Strange Director Explains ‘Psychedelic’ Movie Pitch
Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; Untitled Avengers – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: Disney Parks Blog (via CBR)
