‘Downton Abbey 2’ opens well with $16 million as ‘Doctor Strange’ reigns supreme once more

At the box office, the Crawleys still have the royal touch. “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” a sequel to the big-screen continuation of the renowned British television drama, grossed $16 million in its domestic opening from 3,815 North American cinemas.

Though slightly lower than for first productions, such returns represent an auspicious start in an era when older viewers have been more picky about coming to the movies.

There was justifiable scepticism regarding the second “Downton Abbey” in terms of economic potential, not because long-time viewers had grown bored of eating the onscreen royal intrigue and class-system conflict. Aside from “House of Gucci” and the James Bond sequel “No Time to Die,” several pandemic-era films aimed towards adults (such as Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “West Side Story” and Will Smith’s sports drama “King Richard”) struggled to sell seats despite favourable reviews. So it’s no surprise that over half of the ticket buyers for “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” a feel-good movie set in a well-known brand, were 55 and older.

Those ticket sales put “Downton Abbey” in second place, but not enough to unseat Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The newest Marvel film, which has dominated the box office for three weeks in a row, earned $31.6 million from 4,534 cinemas between Friday and Sunday. To far, “Doctor Strange” has grossed $342 million in North America and $461 million elsewhere, taking the film’s global box office total above $800 million. If “Doctor Strange” maintains its momentum, it will become only the second film in COVID history to exceed the $1 billion mark, following “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

“Because the “Strange” sequel (like “No Way Home”) isn’t playing in China or Russia owing to geopolitical concerns, tentpoles have found it more difficult to hit the desired billion-dollar threshold.”

“Downton Abbey: A New Era” has made $35 million at the overseas box office, bringing its total globally to $51.7 million.
Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey,” returned to write the sequel, which was directed by Simon Curtis. The first “Downton Abbey” film was a surprise box office blockbuster in 2019, debuting to $31 million domestically and eventually grossed $96 million in North America and $192 million internationally.

The sequel opens up with the rich Crawley family travelling to the South of France to solve a mystery surrounding the dowager countess’ (played by Maggie Smith) recently inherited home. Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, and Brendan Coyle also star. Variety’s Peter Debruge described the picture as a “affectionate group embrace,” which is exactly the type of escapism that fans of “Downton Abbey” seek in their historical soap operas.

Fellowes has been dubbed “the George Lucas of period English sitting-room drama” by David A. Gross, founder of the film consultancy firm Franchise Entertainment Research.

“This is an excellent start. As with the first film, the reviews are fantastic “Gross said. “‘Downton Abbey’ is a one-of-a-kind and accomplished television series.”