9 Reasons Doctor Strange Is The Least Anticipated MCU Movie
4. The Rest Of The Slate Is So Good
Doctor Strange would likely have been a bigger deal if it had hit in the middle of Phase 2. Not because of Cumberbatch's star quality, but because its competition for fan attention wouldn't have been so fierce.
Seriously, look at what's coming across the rest of Phase 3: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 ('nuff said), Spider-Man: Homecoming (Marvel's chance to get the web-slinger right), Thor: Ragnarok (aka Planet Hulk's stealth adaptation), Black Panther (after Civil War, 'nuff said again), Avengers: Infinity War (the payoff of eighteen films), Ant-Man And The Wasp (a sequel that by its title fixes all issues with the original), Captain Marvel (finally a female-led film, with Brie Larson no less) and Avengers 4 (because there's no such thing as too much fun). Alongside that gang, Doctor Strange looks a little puny, doesn't it (it's so good you don't even need Infinity War in a entry image)?
This isn't saying Doctor Strange won't be as good as those, nor that all those films will be knock-outs, just that they all have some intrinsic qualities that make them much more exciting prospects.
It's a real danger with shared universes in general, and requires really strong marketing to balance. And that's something Marvel haven't quite done with Strange...