9 Reasons Doctor Strange Is The Least Anticipated MCU Movie
2. Few People Really Know Who Doctor Strange Is
One of the biggest issues with Doctor Strange is that few people are really that au fait with the Sorcerer Supreme. He's a hero who's known to exist, sure, but outside of those really into Marvel comics he's far behind the likes of Spidey, Captain America, X-Men etc.
Like it or not, the thrill of "seeing it on the big screen" is a big part of modern superhero movie hype, and that's something Doctor Strange doesn't have. Neither does he lend himself to salacious production reveals: "Oh, Kaecilius is the villain? Great, I don't know who that is."
This needn't be an issue. Lest we forget, Iron Man was a bonafide B-List hero before his movie and now sits as the figurehead of the entire brand, but with that film there was a real, forceful confidence to offset the fact most people only knew him from Civil War (the comic) and had maybe once heard mention of Demon In A Bottle. Doctor Strange not only hasn't quite done that, but it also comes eight years later where pre-release hype is a different thing.
Yes, again the same thing was true of Guardians, although wasn't that movie also plagued by a lack of concerted interest until the first teaser really won people round?