document_title: Doctor Strange (2016 film)

question_text: who plays the ancient one in doctor strange 2016

text: Doctor Strange (2016 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Kathmandu, Nepal, the sorcerer Kaecilius and his zealots enter the secret compound Kamar-Taj and behead its librarian. They steal a few pages from an ancient, mystical text belonging to the Ancient One, a long-lived sorcerer who has taught every student at Kamar-Taj, including Kaecilius, in the mystic arts. The Ancient One pursues the traitors, but Kaecilius and his followers escape.

text: In New York City, Stephen Strange, an acclaimed but arrogant neurosurgeon, badly injures his hands in a car accident, leaving him unable to operate. Fellow surgeon and former lover Christine Palmer tries to help him move on, but Strange vainly pursues experimental surgeries to heal his hands. Strange eventually learns of Jonathan Pangborn, a paraplegic who mysteriously regained full use of his legs. Pangborn directs Strange to Kamar-Taj, where he is taken in by Mordo, a sorcerer under the Ancient One. The Ancient One demonstrates her power to Strange, revealing the astral plane and other dimensions such as the Mirror Dimension. She eventually agrees to train Strange, despite his arrogance, which reminds her of Kaecilius.

text: Strange studies under the Ancient One and Mordo, and from ancient books in the library that is now guarded by the master Wong. Strange learns that Earth is protected from threats from other dimensions by a shield generated from three buildings called Sanctums, in New York City, London, and Hong Kong, which are all connected and accessible from Kamar-Taj. The sorcerers' task is to protect the Sanctums, though Pangborn instead chose to channel mystical energy into just walking again. Strange progresses quickly, and secretly reads the text from which Kaecilius stole pages, learning to bend time with the mystical Eye of Agamotto. Mordo and Wong warn Strange against breaking the laws of nature, drawing a comparison to Kaecilius' desire for eternal life.

text: Kaecilius uses the stolen pages to contact the powerful Dormammu of the Dark Dimension, where time is non-existent. Kaecilius destroys the London Sanctum to weaken Earth's protection. The zealots then attack the New York Sanctum, killing its guardian, but Strange holds them off with the help of the Cloak of Levitation until Mordo and the Ancient One arrive. Strange and Mordo become disillusioned with the Ancient One after Kaecilius reveals that the Ancient One's long life is due to her drawing power from the Dark Dimension. Kaecilius mortally wounds the Ancient One and escapes to Hong Kong. Before dying, she tells Strange that he too will have to bend the rules to complement Mordo's steadfast nature in order to defeat Kaecilius. Strange and Mordo arrive in Hong Kong to find Wong dead, the Sanctum destroyed, and the Dark Dimension irresistibly engulfing Earth. Strange uses the Eye to reverse time and save Wong, then creates an infinite time loop inside the Dark Dimension that traps himself and Dormammu in the same moment of time. After repeatedly killing Strange to no avail, Dormammu finally gives in to Strange's demand that he leave Earth and take Kaecilius and his zealots with him in return for Strange breaking the time loop.

text: Disgusted by Strange and the Ancient One defying nature's laws, Mordo departs. Strange returns the Eye to Kamar-Taj, and takes up residence in the New York Sanctum to continue his studies. In a mid-credits scene, Strange decides to help Thor, who has brought his brother Loki to Earth to search for their father Odin. In a post-credits scene, Mordo confronts Pangborn and steals the mystical energy that he uses to walk, stating that Earth has "too many sorcerers".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange:
A neurosurgeon who, after a car accident that led to a journey of healing, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.[6] Cumberbatch described Strange as arrogant, with the film "about him going from a place where he thinks he knows it all to realizing he knows nothing."[7] He compared the character to the version of Sherlock Holmes that he portrays in Sherlock, calling them both "intelligent" and having "smatterings of the same colors".[8] The film's mysticism resonated with Cumberbatch, for whom spirituality has been important since he spent his gap year teaching English at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Darjeeling, India.[9][10] Strange's abilities in the film include casting spells with "tongue-twisty fun names", creating mandalas of light for shields and weapons, and creating portals for quick travel around the world. Strange is also aided by a Cloak of Levitation for flight, and the Eye of Agamotto, a relic containing an Infinity Stone that can manipulate time.[11][12] Cumberbatch took great care in defining the physical movements and gestures for the spells, knowing that they would be noted and studied by fans.[13] He described these gestures as "balletic" and "very dynamic",[14] and received help with finger-tutting movements from dancer JayFunk.[15]

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo:
A Master of the Mystic Arts, close to the Ancient One and a mentor to Strange. This version of Mordo is a combination of different characters from the Doctor Strange mythos, and unlike in the comics is not introduced as villainous.[16][17] Ejiofor noted this, calling Mordo "a very complex character that, really, I don’t think can be nailed down either way".[18][19] Director Scott Derrickson added that the change in character stemmed from casting Ejiofor and conversations the director had with him.[18] Ejiofor described Mordo's relationship with the Ancient One as "long and intense",[19] while noting a "growing respect" between the character and Strange, until "things get complicated".[18] Derrickson felt Mordo was a fundamentalist, saying "When someone gives themselves over to an extraordinarily strict moral code, the process of breaking out of that is a violent one. He becomes disillusioned with the Ancient One’s [moral contradictions]. The difference is Strange can accept that contradiction. Mordo cannot cope with it,"[20] which leads to the "antagonism between Mordo and Strange" to explore in future films.[18] Discussing the diversity of the film's cast when addressing the casting of the controversial characters the Ancient One and Wong, Derrickson was confident that the decision to cast Ejiofor as Mordo, and thus changing the character "from white to black", was the right one to make.[21]

Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer:
An emergency surgeon,[22][23] initially written as a love interest for Strange, but shortly before filming Derrickson suggested that this trope be subverted by making the two characters lovers as part of their backstory, and coming "out the other side of it as friends". McAdams described this dynamic by saying, "The love is between them no matter what stage they're at in the actual relationship."[24] With this change in characterization, producer Kevin Feige described Palmer as a "lynchpin to [Strange's] old life, once he steps into the role of a sorcerer. She is someone he connects with at the beginning, and reconnects with, and helps anchor his humanity."[25] He explained that having this character be a "connection to Strange’s life in New York City, in the normal world" after his journey was important to the studio, which is why Palmer was chosen for the character over the more prominent, but more fantastical character Clea.[26] Palmer is also known as the hero Night Nurse in the comics, a storyline that does not play into the film, but that Feige hinted could be explored in future films. Rosario Dawson portrays another Night Nurse character, Claire Temple, in Marvel's Netflix television series.[27]

Benedict Wong as Wong:[28]
A Master of the Mystic Arts, tasked with protecting some of Kamar-Taj's most valuable relics and books.[29][30] The character is depicted in the comics as Strange's Asian, "tea-making manservant", a racial stereotype that Derrickson did not want in the film,[31][32] and so the character was not included in the film's script. After the non-Asian actress Tilda Swinton was cast as the other significant Asian character from the Doctor Strange comics, the Ancient One—which was also done to avoid the comics' racial stereotypes—Derrickson felt obligated to find a way to include Wong in the film. The character as he ultimately appears is "completely subverted as a character and reworked into something that didn’t fall into any of the stereotypes of the comics",[31] which Derrickson was pleased gave an Asian character "a strong presence in the movie".[21] Actor Wong was also pleased with the changes made to the character, and described him as "a drill sergeant to Kamar-Taj" rather than a manservant. He does not practice martial arts in the film, avoiding another racial stereotype.[32] Derrickson added that Wong will have "a strong presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe" moving forward.[21]

Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West: A rival surgeon to Strange.[2][33]
Benjamin Bratt as Jonathan Pangborn: A paraplegic who learned from the Ancient One how to heal himself through the mystic arts.[34][35][36]
Scott Adkins as Lucian: One of Kaecilius' followers.[37][38]
Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius:
A Master of the Mystic Arts who broke away from the Ancient One.[2][29][39] A combination of several antagonists from the comics, Kaecilius was used in the film to drive the introduction and development of bigger villains for the future, including "certain individuals who live in other dimensions". Derrickson compared this dynamic to that of Saruman and Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, giving the film a "huge and fantastical" villain like Sauron, but also having "human relateability" with Kaecilius, like Saruman, for Strange to face throughout the film.[18][40] Derrickson admitted that Marvel's villains are often criticized, and noted that MCU films dedicate little time to developing antagonists. For Doctor Strange, he just hoped to show "Kaecilius's point of view and what makes him tick" in the time that he could,[41] feeling that the character is a "man of ideas" with "watertight logic" like John Doe from Seven and the Joker from The Dark Knight.[40] On these motivations, Feige explained that Kaecilius believes the Ancient One is a hypocrite, protecting her own power base, and that the world may be better off "if we were to allow some of these other things through."[42] Mikkelsen's makeup took between 2-3 hours to apply.[43]

Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One:
A Celtic mystic,[44] who becomes Strange's mentor.[16] The character in the comics is a Tibetan man, a situation which co-writer C. Robert Cargill compared to the Kobayashi Maru, an unwinnable training exercise in the Star Trek universe. He explained that adapting the character as the comics portrayed him would be realizing the major Asian Fu Manchu stereotype, and would involve the film with the Tibetan sovereignty debate, but not giving one of few significant Asian roles to an Asian actor would also understandably be received negatively.[21][45] Derrickson wanted to change the character to an Asian woman, but felt that an older Asian woman would invoke the Dragon Lady stereotype, while a younger Asian woman would be perceived as exploiting Asian fetish and "a fanboy's dream girl". To avoid the character filling any of those three stereotypes, or enabling the stereotype of a "Western character coming to Asia to learn about being Asian",[21] Derrickson decided to cast a non-Asian actor in the role, but to still take the opportunity to cast "an amazing actress in a male role".[45] Feeling that Swinton was the obvious choice to play "domineering, secretive, ethereal, enigmatic, [and] mystical", Derrickson wrote the Ancient One in the film specifically for the actress, before she was offered the role.[46] Additionally, though the film uses the terms "her" and "she", Swinton chose to portray the character as androgynous, while Feige explained that the Ancient One and Sorcerer Supreme are mantles in the film held by multiple characters through time, so a more comic-accurate Ancient One could exist within the MCU.[47][48] Still, Swinton's casting was widely criticized as whitewashing.[49] In response to this, Derrickson said that though he was pleased with the diversity of the film's cast, in terms of both gender and ethnicity, "Asians have been whitewashed and stereotyped in American cinema for over a century and people should be mad or nothing will change. What I did was the lesser of two evils, but it is still an evil."[21]

text: Cumberbatch also portrays, uncredited, the villainous entity Dormammu. The actor suggested he take on the role to Derrickson, feeling that having the character be a "horrific" reflection of Strange would work better than just "being a big ghoulish monster". The director agreed, elaborating that the casting implies that Dormammu does not have a normal physical form in his own dimension, and so is simply imitating Strange for their confrontation. To create the character, Cumberbatch provided motion-capture reference for the visual effects team, and his voice was blended with that of another uncredited British actor, whom Derrickson described as having "a very deep voice".[12][50] The producers also had Tony Todd record voice over for Dormammu as an alternative to Cumberbatch, but ultimately decided on using Cumberbatch for the voice.[51]

text: Chris Hemsworth reprises his role of Thor from previous MCU films in the film's mid-credits scene.[52] Additionally, Linda Louise Duan appears, unnamed, as Tina Minoru,[53][54] Mark Anthony Brighton portrays Daniel Drumm,[52] and Topo Wresniwiro portrays Hamir,[55] all Masters of the Mystic Arts under the Ancient One. The latter is based on Hamir the Hermit, Wong's father in the comics, who was the Ancient One's personal manservant. The character is neither a manservant nor Wong's father in the film.[12] Zara Phythian, Alaa Safi, and Katrina Durden portray zealots under Kaecilius,[36][55][56] and Pat Kiernan appears as himself.[55] Doctor Strange co-creator Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance as a bus rider reading Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception.[57][58] Amy Landecker was cast as anesthesiologist Bruner, but the majority of her role was cut from the finished film.[55][59]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: A film based on the Marvel Comics character Doctor Strange was initially listed as being in development at New World Pictures,[60] with a script dated January 21, 1986 by Bob Gale.[61] For unknown reasons, Gale's film never went further into production.[61] By 1989, Alex Cox had co-written a script with Doctor Strange co-creator Stan Lee. The script had the character traveling to the Fourth Dimension before facing the villain Dormammu on Easter Island, Chile. A film using this script was almost made by Regency, but the company's films were distributed by Warner Bros. at the time, which was in a dispute with Marvel over merchandising.[62] By December 1992, Wes Craven had signed to write and direct Doctor Strange for release in either 1994 or 1995, with Savoy Pictures distributing.[63][64] In 1995, David S. Goyer had completed a script for the film.[65] By April 1997, Columbia Pictures had purchased the film rights and Jeff Welch was working on a new screenplay, with Bernie Brillstein and Brad Grey producing.[66]

text: By April 2000, Columbia dropped Doctor Strange, which then had Michael France attached to write a script and interest from Chuck Russell and Stephen Norrington to direct.[67] By June 2001, Dimension Films acquired the film rights, with Goyer back on board as writer and director. Goyer hinted scheduling conflicts might ensue with a film adaptation of Murder Mysteries,[68] and promised not to be highly dependent on computer-generated imagery.[65] However, by August 2001, Miramax acquired the film rights from Dimension,[69] and by March 2002, Goyer had dropped out of the project.[70] A 2005 release date was announced the next March,[71] while in June 2004, a script still had yet to be written. Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad stated, "We are nowhere with that. That's a tough one to write, but we are working on it. We are trying to find the real Jerry Garcia of the writing community."[72] In April 2005, Paramount Pictures acquired Doctor Strange from Miramax, as part of Marvel Studios' attempt to independently produce their own films. At the time, the film was projected to have a budget of no more than $165 million.[73]

text: In March 2009, Marvel hired writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, including Doctor Strange.[74] In June 2010, Marvel Studios hired Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to write Doctor Strange.[75] While promoting Transformers: Dark of the Moon in April 2011, actor Patrick Dempsey indicated he was lobbying to play the title character.[76] In January 2013, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Doctor Strange would appear in some capacity as part of "Phase Three" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[77] Feige then reiterated that a Doctor Strange feature film was in development at Marvel Studios that May,[78][79] and again in November.[80] In February 2014, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Marvel was considering Mark Andrews, Jonathan Levine, Nikolaj Arcel and Dean Israelite to direct the film, and was considering Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger to rewrite the film's script.[81] Feige denied this report, but confirmed that Marvel was considering prospective candidates.[82] By March, Marvel was considering Andrews, Levine, and Scott Derrickson to direct the film.[83]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text:
I think when you consider the work that I've done it makes sense that he'd be my favorite comic book character, at least in the Marvel universe. Probably the only comic character in that mainstream world that I'm suited to. I feel such an affinity for the character and the story and the ambition of those comics, especially the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Strange Tales—I think those are my favorite of all of them. The entire history of the comics is extraordinary.

—Scott Derrickson, director of Doctor Strange[84]

tag: div

text: In June 2014, Derrickson was chosen to direct the film.[85] He had written a 12-page scene for the film featuring Strange and an assailant fighting in the astral plane while a doctor attempts to save Strange's physical body in a hospital, based on a sequence from the comic Doctor Strange: The Oath. Derrickson illustrated the sequence with his own concept art, alongside storyboards from professional artists and an animatic, which he presented in a 90-minute pitch to the studio. This cost Derrickson an "obnoxious amount" of his own money, but he felt it necessary to prove "that I wanted [the job] more than anyone", especially after Marvel told him that more people had lobbied to direct Doctor Strange than any of their other films.[86][87] Derrickson ultimately had eight meetings with Marvel for the film.[88] After he was hired, Marvel bought the 12-page scene from Derrickson, and it became one of the film's main set pieces.[86][87] On transitioning from horror films to a superhero film, Derrickson said, "It was nice to work on something more positive. And not have my headspace in something so dark for so long. But it was also weirdly similar because of the fantastical nature of the movie". In his horror films, Derrickson tried to use "real characters and real character drama played by good actors ... [to] encounter the fantastical", and so he wanted actors of the same high caliber for Doctor Strange through which he could introduce the more fantastical elements to the MCU.[89]

text: Derrickson and Marvel had originally discussed him writing the film alongside his Sinister co-writer C. Robert Cargill, with Derrickson also directing, but Marvel felt that they would not be able to reach their intended release date of July 2016 if Derrickson filled both roles. When Derrickson was chosen as director, Marvel passed on Cargill as an individual writer,[45] with Jon Spaihts hired to rewrite the script instead.[6][90] Spaihts, a big fan of Doctor Strange as a child, had started "pestering" Marvel as soon as he read reports of the company searching for a director for the film. This eventually led to him meeting with the studio, before they actually began looking for writers for the film. Spaihts said that they talked "all afternoon, and the fit was right",[91] but he received a call from Marvel several days later saying that they were not completely sure they wanted to take the film in the same direction as Spaihts, and were going to look at other writers. Spaihts told his agent to not "take that answer. Call them back, tell them there’s a lot of right answers, and get me back in the room", and after talking with Marvel for "another three or four hours" he was given the job. Marvel never seriously looked at any other writer for the film.[88] Derrickson was already hired when Spaihts joined, and the pair spent several months working on the film's story with Feige and executive producer Stephen Broussard. They started writing the film from the beginning, and initially were unsure whether it would be an origin story, or if it would begin with Strange already as a "fully-formed" sorcerer. Spaihts ultimately felt that "the origin story of this character, as depicted in the comics, is so operatic and beautiful, and so tragic and epic in its sweep, that it was unavoidable. We had to tell that story, and tell our best version of it." Elements from Spaihts' early drafts that he later stated were still in the final film include many of the film's set pieces, such as the climactic battle, which came straight from Derrickson, as well as "little things" from Spaihts, "like a bandaged hand running down a row of prayer bells in a Nepalese temple."[91] Derrickson wanted Nightmare to be the film's antagonist, along with the concept of "nightmares themselves as being a dimension",[20][92] but Feige felt "getting across the idea of the Dream Dimension as another dimension" would have been challenging alongside everything else that the film introduces. Dormammu, "the most present villain in the comics", became the film's main villain.[20]

text: During the early development process, Marvel, Derrickson, and Spaihts all envisioned Benedict Cumberbatch playing the title role.[91] By the end of June, Marvel had reportedly been looking at Tom Hardy and Jared Leto for the film's lead as well,[90][93] while Édgar Ramírez, who worked with Derrickson on 2014's Deliver Us from Evil, had discussed a possible role with the director.[94] In July, after fans and the media had also championed Cumberbatch for the role of Doctor Strange, the actor explained at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International that he would be unable to accept the role due to commitments to other projects.[95] Feige stated that a lead actor would be announced "relatively quickly",[96] and by the end of that month Joaquin Phoenix entered talks to play the character.[97][98] By September 2014, Marvel Studios was in negotiations to shoot Doctor Strange at Pinewood-Shepperton in the UK, with crews being assembled for a move into Shepperton Studios in late 2014/early 2015, for filming in May 2015.[99] Negotiations with Phoenix ended in October 2014,[100] as the actor felt that blockbuster films would never be "fulfilling", with "too many requirements that went against [his] instincts for character."[101] Marvel then placed Leto, Ethan Hawke, Oscar Isaac, Ewan McGregor, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Keanu Reeves on their shortlist for the character.[102][103] Ryan Gosling also had discussions to play the character,[104] while Reeves was not approached about the role,[105] and Cumberbatch was still considered to be in contention.[102][103] In October, Cumberbatch entered negotiations to play the character,[106] and was officially cast in December.[6] Feige explained that Marvel had kept returning to him for the role while considering other actors,[107] with Derrickson noting that even during discussions with Phoenix, he and Marvel still wanted to cast Cumberbatch in the role.[87] The company eventually decided to change the film's production schedule to fit around Cumberbatch's commitments, allowing him to join the project.[107]

text: With the film's new production schedule, its intended release date was pushed back to November 2016,[108] and Derrickson was able to do some work on the script himself. He brought Cargill in to work with him on this as was originally planned. Describing the film, Cargill called it both a superhero film and a fantasy film, saying "it's a very magical fantasy universe, but at the same time it plays by some of the superhero tropes that people enjoy."[45] Spaihts returned later in the process to "do some more writing and help bring the movie home", and said he was "delighted" by the work that Derrickson and Cargill had done in the interim.[88] Feige and Derrickson have noted that, in addition to The Oath and Steve Ditko's original work on Doctor Strange, an influence on all the film's writers was the Doctor Strange comic book Into Shamball.[30][40][109]

text: In January 2015, Chiwetel Ejiofor entered preliminary talks with Marvel for a role in the film,[110] later revealed to be Baron Mordo.[16] Ejiofor's role was confirmed during the 2015 D23 Expo.[17] In April, Derrickson and members of the production team visited New York City to scout potential filming locations, while Feige revealed that filming would begin that November.[111] A month later, Tilda Swinton was in talks to play the Ancient One.[112] In June 2015, Derrickson announced that he was going to London to begin work on the film,[113] and Feige confirmed that Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum would appear, located on Bleecker Street in New York City's Greenwich Village, as in the comics.[48] Swinton confirmed her role in the film in July,[114] when Rachel McAdams was being considered for the female lead. McAdams cautioned that "it's still super-early, and I don't know where that's gonna go, if it's gonna go anywhere at all",[115] but she ultimately confirmed her role during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[22] Mads Mikkelsen entered into early negotiations to play a villain in August,[116] "one of a number of actors being considered for the unspecified villianous role."[117]

text: In September 2015, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn stated that many of the crew that worked on that film were unable to return for its sequel, because they had committed to Doctor Strange.[118] Derrickson also revealed that Gunn had provided notes on the script, beyond the general conversing the MCU directors have between themselves for their films.[119] At the end of the month, Feige stated that additional casting announcements would be made "before the end of the year",[120] and by early November, Michael Stuhlbarg entered negotiations to appear in the film as Nicodemus West, a rival of Strange.[33]

text: Feige felt that the visuals of the film needed "to be a Ditko/Kubrick/Miyazaki/The Matrix mind-trip",[121] and said that "You don't get into it in Harry Potter, but if a scientist went to Hogwarts he'd find out how some of that stuff is happening! We're not going to spend a lot of time on that, but there will be some of that. And particularly for a character like Strange, who goes from a man of science to a man of faith and who traverses both worlds."[121] In developing the film's magic, Derrickson felt a responsibility to not repeat the representation of magic from previous films, like Fantasia and Harry Potter, wanting "to find a new way to make it feel more tactical and real and surreal. And to root it in gestures as opposed to spoken incantations and things like that."[89] Feige called Doctor Strange the "doorway" into the supernatural side of the MCU,[122] a role that Derrickson noted was also served by the character in the early comics, when the Doctor Strange comics "broke open the Marvel comic book universe into the Marvel multiverse".[123] Discussing the portrayal of other dimensions in the film, Feige stated that it would not explore parallel realities like the comics' "Earth-616 and Earth 617", but would instead feature "dimensions that are so mind-bending that you can barely perceive them",[124] like the Astral plane, Dark Dimension, and Mirror Dimension.[125][126][127]

text: Astrophysicist Adam Frank served as a scientific consultant on the film, having already known Derrickson and been a Marvel fan since childhood.[128] Frank advised on "the human experience of space and time", helping Marvel conceive ideas for their cinematic multiverse, and suggesting dialogue for characters based on their beliefs, whether they were materialist, rationalist, reductionist, or "had this enlarged perspective."[129] He noted that modern movie goers may not necessarily understand these complex scientific ideas, but do appear to appreciate "amazing things happen[ing] from science. So by grounding your stories enough in science to not so much make them plausible, but to allow that science to open up new possibilities—people are used to that in their lives. So I think it makes sense to them, and it's exciting to them". This was an aspect of previous MCU films that Frank called a "great thing ... speaking as a scientist", saying that "they build a coherent and consistent universe that respects the scientific process and that uses enough of real science to make things plausible or build off them."[128]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography began in Nepal on November 4, 2015, under the working title Checkmate.[130][131] Ben Davis, serving as cinematographer for the film after doing the same on Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron, described Doctor Strange as Marvel's Fantasia, and noted that a lot of previsualization was required to figure out how to shoot the "psychedelic", M. C. Escher-inspired imagery.[132] Davis used the Arri Alexa 65 camera for the film,[133] along with the Arri Alexa XT Plus. Vision Research Phantom Flex 4Ks, which shoot up to 1000 fps, were used for high speed sequences like Strange's car crash.[134]

text: Derrickson chose Nepal as a location to feature an "Eastern city" that would not be familiar to most audiences. After scouting and deciding on locations in the country, many of those areas were destroyed by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Rather than choosing another country, Derrickson and Cumberbatch felt that bringing attention and tourism to Nepal following the event "was all the more reason to shoot there".[135] Cumberbatch said that shooting in Nepal was "absolutely vital to this film, I think not least because it’s so based in something that is exotic. It was a magical way to start the shoot. It’s important to a film like this—which has a profound gearshift into a spiritual and otherworldly dimension—that the portal for that be in a place that actually happens in itself to be incredibly spiritual and marvelous."[136] The eventual filming locations around the Kathmandu Valley included the Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath Temples;[137][138] Thamel and New Road in Kathmandu;[139] and the Patan Durbar Square in Patan.[140][141]

text: Production moved to Longcross Studios in the UK on November 11,[142] and was scheduled to stay there until March 2016.[143] The real Kathmandu street that led into the fictional Kamar-Taj courtyard was replicated at Longcross, which production designer Charles Wood described as "very hard because Kathmandu is a most beautiful city and it’s steeped in history. To transition from that level of detail and history, with the shape of the streets, the warping of the buildings, these ancient bricks and these ancient tiles, was a real challenge." For authenticity, the set was dressed with real food, and populated with dogs, pigeons, and Nepalese extras, many of whom were relatives of people who live on the real Kathmandu street.[136] The inside of Kamar-Taj was also constructed at Longcross, with "sculptors creating beautiful columns and wall decorations and craftsmen building screens and doors to evoke the exotic feel of the ancient sanctuary." Wood's goal was to make the set feel like the Ancient One and her disciples actually lived there, and give it a "truly spiritual, truly magical" feel, while integrating it into a real building that the production filmed in Kathmandu. This and the Kathmandu street were two of twenty-one sets that the crew built at Longcross. Others included Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, and a Hong Kong street "complete with over 80 neon signs and a giant roof to keep the rain out."[136]

text: Filming also took place in Hong Kong,[2][144] and in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.[130] Additional New York City-set scenes were shot at Shepperton Studios,[99][145] and later in London.[146] By the end of November, the casting of Mikkelsen and Stuhlbarg was confirmed,[2] alongside Amy Landecker and Scott Adkins in unspecified roles.[37][147] Additionally, Benedict Wong heard about the film from his friend Ejiofor, and sought a role in it himself.[148] He was cast as Wong in January,[28] and immediately joined the production for filming.[148] Lamborghini provided six Huracán LP 610-4 Spyders for use in the film, one of which the production wrecked during filming.[134][149] Lamborghini said that they felt "there are a lot of characteristics of Doctor Strange that are connected with the Lamborghini philosophy."[149] The Lamborghini crash scene was filmed at Northfleet, Kent by the River Thames.[150] Also in January 2016, filming took place at Exeter College, Oxford.[131][144] The next month, Feige revealed that the film originally had a prologue that took place in CERN, due to the real world research being done at the facility on alternate dimensions and parallel universes.[30] Production moved to New York City's Flatiron District in April,[145] where set photos revealed that Zara Phythian had joined the cast.[56] Principal photography wrapped in New York City on April 3, 2016.[151]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: In June 2016, a Diamond Select Toys press release for Doctor Strange toys, in their Marvel Minimates line, named Mikkelsen's character Kaecilius and McAdams' character Christine Palmer.[39] Mikkelsen's role was confirmed in an official tie-in comic for the film,[29] while McAdams' was confirmed at San Diego Comic Con 2016.[23] Additionally, Benjamin Bratt was revealed to have been cast[34] as Jonathan Pangborn;[35] Adkins' role was revealed to be Lucian, a follower of Kaecilius;[55] and Landecker's role was later revealed to be anesthesiologist Dr. Bruner.[55] The latter was mostly cut from the film,[55][59] with Landecker explaining that she had been cast in the small role, for two scenes at the beginning of the film, because Derrickson was a fan of her performance in A Serious Man, which also starred Stuhlbarg. After filming her first scene, in which she assists Strange with a surgery, Landecker asked not to be involved in the other scene because she had no lines for it and was only seen from behind, and instead wished to attend a special premiere at the White House for her series Transparent. The actress believed she was later cut from the first scene, but she is still credited for a brief appearance.[59] Also, Derrickson revealed that Lulu Wilson had been cast as Strange's sister, for a scene depicting her drowning at a young age. The scene had been shot, and Derrickson thought it was "great [as a] self-contained scene", but it "didn't work" with the rest of the film, and was cut.[87]

text: Also at San Diego Comic Con, Derrickson noted that there were still "a couple pickup shoots" to do for the film to "clarify the logic".[152] Further content for the film's training sequence was also shot during these reshoots, as early test audiences "loved [the training portion of the film] and wanted more".[135] Wong indicated that the reshoots had been completed in August.[153] Dan Harmon wrote material for these additional scenes,[154] which Derrickson described as "script analysis and dialogue work", not enough to receive credit in the film.[155] Feige said that in addition to any humor that Harmon could add to the film, he was brought on to "give us his opinions on the sci-fi concepts."[156] Before the film's sets were demolished, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi took advantage by writing and filming a scene featuring Strange meeting Chris Hemsworth's Thor. The scene was for Ragnarok and shot before that film began production. Derrickson and Marvel felt the scene was "kind of perfect" to show Strange joining the wider MCU after his stand alone introduction, and so added it to Doctor Strange as a mid-credits scene.[52][157] A post-credits scene, directed by Derrickson, teases Mordo's role as an antagonist to Strange in a potential Doctor Strange sequel.[158] Stan Lee's cameo in the film was directed by Gunn on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This was alongside several other Lee cameos, to limit the amount of travel he had to do for the next four MCU films. Gunn contacted Derrickson during the shoot to ensure that the shot matched up with the respective Doctor Strange scene, and "kept throwing lines at" Lee on the day to give Derrickson and Marvel plenty of options to choose from for the film.[159] Additional options Gunn filmed included: Lee reading a book and asking a gentleman next to him if he knew what the word excelsior meant; Lee laughing really hard and stating he was laughing for no reason, being "totally crazy"; and Lee laughing hysterically at a Garfield book, noting how the character "HATES Mondays but he LOVES lasagna!". Gunn felt the Garfield option was originally meant to appear in the final version of the film, but ended up being too long for the scene.[160] By October 10, 2016, Derrickson had completed the film.[58]

text: Feige described the film's use of 3D as serving the storytelling, saying, "hopefully it helps bend people’s minds even more than with just the flat screen."[161] He said that "there are sequences of the film that 3D is actually necessary to tell the dimensional story that is happening through visuals". However, he noted that during visual effects reviews for the film it became apparent that these sequences were adversely affecting the story when viewed in 2D, which necessitated adjustments so the sequences would work in all formats.[162] Over one hour of footage in the film was "specially formatted" for IMAX.[163]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: Visual effects for Doctor Strange were provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Method Studios, Framestore, Lola VFX, Luma Pictures, Rise FX, Crafty Apes, and SPOV,[134][164] contributing to 1450 effects shots. Previsualization was handled by The Third Floor. All vendors worked on the common magical elements (mandalas, magical runes shields, whips, stalks and aerial 'lily pads', and portals).[134] Visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti, who also worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, explained the similarities and differences between the two films, saying, "there's some resemblance in some of the things that we've done. In the same way, it's a totally different world. In [Guardians], it's more sci-fi oriented and crazy colors. More of a comedy kind of take on things as well. This one is a little bit more serious. It's also a little bit more trippy. We use very different techniques, actually. Guardians was also for us a huge animation film. This one was less of it. This one was more about the environments and effects".[165]

text: Further discussing the film's visuals, Derrickson described influences as "the Steve Ditko, Stan Lee comics [which] were all about these weird visuals",[152] as well as "a fair amount of surrealist art and photography and M.C. Escher".[166] Additional inspiration for the film's visuals came from "a bunch of experimental, fractal videos from YouTube" that Derrickson found, and the mobile video game Monument Valley.[167] Derrickson's "ambition was to use cutting-edge visual effects to do things that are fresh and new—to not just blow things up."[166] Feige explained that one of the more difficult areas to be inventive was the action sequences, as Derrickson did not want them "to simply be: someone shoots a bolt of lightning, and someone blocks a ball of lightning, so someone throws another bolt of lightning..." Instead, they tried to incorporate the use of different dimensions into the action "in the interest of creating a visual tapestry that is totally different in terms of an action scene we’ve seen in any other movies."[124] On the film's set pieces, Derrickson reiterated that the film's astral fight scene was based on The Oath comic, while adding that the end fight was "an attempt to capture the quality of that artwork" from the original comics, and the mirror dimension chase was an attempt to take Inception "to the Nth degree and take it way more surreal and way farther. But I certainly owe something to that movie."[89] Specifically for the climax of the film, Derrickson wanted to play on the superhero trope of "a big fight scene where they're tearing up a city, and there's a portal opening up and they have to close it", subverting it by having the villain defeated with an intelligent use of power rather than showing "which CGI thing can hit the other CGI thing harder".[157]

text: ILM worked on the folding Manhattan mirror sequence (chosen because of their work creating a digital New York in The Avengers) and the time fight sequence in Hong Kong, which consisted of 200 and 150 shots, respectively. They began work on the film 10 months before filming began to plan out the Manhattan sequence; it was mainly CGI, though some New York location shots were used. The sequence was mainly handled by ILM's San Francisco and Vancouver offices. The Hong Kong time sequence was done mainly by ILM's London office. ILM also created digital doubles for many of the actors, which were shared with the other vendors. Method Studios, who worked on the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man, worked on the "magical mystery tour" sequence, with Strange hurtling through various dimensions. The sequence was handled by Method's Los Angeles studio, with their Vancouver studio contributing the opening shot of the sequence. The only shot Method did not work on in the sequence was the one that linked to Dormammu, as Luma Pictures assisted in his creation (they handled his other appearances in the film). Method created 7 dimensions for the sequence: the initial wormhole to the "Speaker Cone"; the Bioluminesce world; the fractals of "soft solid" world; a version of the Quantum Realm; Strange falling through his own eye and Cosmic Scream; the Dark Dimension; and the Shape Shifting realm. The Shape Shifting realm originally had Strange morphing and changing shape, but that was ultimately removed as Derrickson felt the audience needed to see Cumberbatch. Method's Vancouver studio created Strange's car crash, the rooftop training, and the sequence in which Strange experiments with time on an apple in the Kamar-Taj library. The car crash blended the high speed photography and some green screen sequences, with digital assets for both Cumberbatch and the car. In total, Method worked on 270 effects shots.[134]

text: Framestore was chosen to work on the Cloak of Levitation, due to their work creating Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy. Ceretti called Cloak's actions "kind of scripted but not as deeply" as the end result, and said that during the pre-visualization process "we had a big discussion about the arc of the story of the Cloak in the film".[165] Framestore also worked on environment shots, the Mandelbrot set sequences, high resolution digital doubles, the astral form, and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak restraint for Kaecilius, totaling over 365 shots. Alexis Wajsbrot, Framestore's CG Supervisor, called the astral form "one of the hardest effects we’ve had to deal with at Framestore; finding the right balance of a look that was subtle but also beautiful." Lola VFX worked on the Zealots' eyes, supplementing the make-up work with effects based on a geode. They also created digital tears for Kaecilius when he is in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. In addition to Dormammu and the Dark Dimension, Luma Pictures also created the first mirror sequence at the beginning of the film.[134] In creating Dormammu, Ceretti stated that they wanted to avoid the fiery head look from the comics as "it had been done before. The whole idea is he's a character that lives in-between dimensions. He can also take whatever shapes he wants to take. [When he is talking to Strange] you can feel all these ripples in his face and all that stuff… these kind of opening windows to other dimensions, and all the reflective qualities of it. We really wanted to add the evocation of that fire, but we didn't want to do fire so we went for [a] multicolored approach to try and keep the psychedelic [look] of the entire space." On the Dark Dimension, Ceretti said, "We tried to make it alive all the time—the whole idea of the Dark Dimension is that it's a dynamic environment," with the Luma team referencing the Ditko art and a poster that when lit "with a blacklight it becomes very saturated [with] colors, crazy blacklight colors." He continued, "It was all about finding the right balance between all these elements to pay homage to and to tribute the work of Steve Ditko, but to make it more current to the 21st century. If you look at the detail of the shapes that we have in the Dark Dimension, you can almost point to things in the comic books [that] we really tried to be faithful to."[168]

text: Music[edit]

text: In May 2016, Michael Giacchino revealed that he would score the film.[169] Derrickson called the score "magic in the literal sense of the word," adding Giacchino "is doing what good scorers do, which is he is not just creating music that supports the images, he's adding a third thing to the movie. It becomes something new with his music in there that it didn't have with temp music."[152] The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios.[170] During a recording session, Paul McCartney heard one of Giacchino's cues being recorded and likened it to The Beatles song "I Am the Walrus".[171] Derrickson, a Bob Dylan fan, looked for a place in the film to include one of his songs, but could not find one. However, he was able to include the song "Interstellar Overdrive" by Pink Floyd.[172][173] Derrickson had hoped to use either "Interstellar Overdrive" or The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Are You Experienced?" for the film's credits, but the royalties to use either in the credits were too expensive, resulting in Giacchino creating the track "The Master Of The Mystic End Credits".[20] A soundtrack album from Hollywood Records was released digitally on October 21, 2016, with a physical release on November 18, 2016.[174][175]

text: Release[edit]

text: Doctor Strange held its world premiere in Hong Kong on October 13, 2016,[46] and had its premiere in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre and El Capitan Theatre on October 20, 2016.[176][177] The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2016,[178] alongside a total of 33 markets in its first weekend, with 213 IMAX screens in 32 of those markets.[179] It was screened at the EW PopFest on October 28, 2016 in Los Angeles.[180] Doctor Strange's North America release on November 4 took place in 3,882 venues, of which 3,530 were in 3D, along with 379 IMAX theaters, 516 premium large-format (Disney's biggest release in that format to date), and 189 D-Box locations.[181] Overall, Doctor Strange had the widest IMAX release ever globally, along with being the first film to release on more than 1,000 IMAX screens.[179] It was previously reported to have been scheduled for a July 8, 2016 release,[98][182] before the production schedule shifted to accommodate Cumberbatch's other commitments.[45][107]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: In August 2015, a concept art trailer narrated by Derrickson was shown at the D23 Expo. The images showed artwork of Cumberbatch in a traditional Doctor Strange outfit from the comics, as well as a rough sequence of the plot, highlighting points such as Strange's accident, his journey for healing, and fighting Ejiofor as Mordo (before the character was moved away from a villainous role in the film per discussions between Derrickson and the actor).[18][183] The trailer was met with "a very big reaction from the gathered crowd."[183]

text: On April 12, 2016, the first teaser trailer for the film debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[184][185] Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly compared the "series of kaleidoscopic, world-bending scenes" featured in the trailer to the film Inception,[185] as did Scott Mendelson of Forbes. Forbes added that the structure of the trailer resembled early marketing for the film Batman Begins.[186] The Hollywood Reporter's Graeme McMillian criticised these similarities, as well as similarities to The Matrix and between Cumberbatch's American accent and that of Hugh Laurie's Gregory House from House, calling them not "necessarily a real problem, of course... [but] there's nothing there outside the derivative aspects: due to the nature of the trailer, there's no story beyond the 'white man finds enlightenment in Asia' trope and barely any dialogue to let audiences decide that maybe the performances will elevate the material." McMillian did enjoy the visual effects and the visual of "Tilda Swinton literally knock[ing] Benedict Cumberbatch's soul out of his body," but concluded, "as an introduction to not only a brand new franchise for Marvel, but a potential new genre, this feels far less bold and assured" than the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy.[187]

text: In July 2016, Marvel Comics released a prelude tie-in comic written by Will Corona Pilgrim, with art by Jorge Fornés.[188] The issue sees four Masters of the Mystic Arts–Kaecilius, Wong, Tina Minoru and Daniel Drumm–pursue a woman who has stolen a mystical relic.[29] A second issue, centered on the Ancient One training apprentices in the magical arts at Kamar-Taj, was released a month later.[189] Derrickson, Cumberbatch, Swinton, Ejiofor, McAdams, Mikkelsen, and Wong attended San Diego Comic-Con 2016, where they debuted an exclusive clip and the second trailer for the film.[190] The next month, the same Comic-Con clip was screened at the Asia Pop Comic Convention Manila.[191] In September 2016, an additional prelude comic was released, centered on Kaecilius,[192] while behind the scenes footage was released as a special feature on the Captain America: Civil War Blu-ray.[193] Also in September, Marvel, in partnership with Dolby Laboratories, Broadcom, Synchrony Bank, and Society for Science & the Public, announced "The Magic of STEM Challenge", aimed at females aged 15 through 18 in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education) fields. The challenge was for contestants to submit videos of them finding mentors to explore ideas once thought to only be possible with magic. Five winners would attend the world premiere of the film, and receive a tour of Walt Disney Studios, as well as a $1,000 saving account from Synchrony Bank, with one grand prize winner receiving a mentorship with Walt Disney Studio's Digital Team.[194]

text: On October 10, 2016, approximately 15 minutes of footage was screened at 115 IMAX 3D locations in North America, and select 3D and IMAX 3D locations worldwide. Fans attending the event received an exclusive IMAX poster for the film.[163] Umberto Gonzales of TheWrap called the footage "stunning to behold". He added that a sequence shown in which the Ancient One sends Strange "on his first trippy tour through the multiverse" was "where the IMAX 3D really shines. The audience is given an incredible visual tour of the multiverse which features other dimensions and other realities. It really is something to behold in IMAX 3D," concluding that "after being shown only 15 minutes of incredible preview footage, IMAX 3D is the definitive format to see the film."[195] Britt Hayes for Screen Crush felt the footage was "dizzying" and "far weirder and wilder than [the] trailers are letting on," though felt it was a bit difficult "to judge some of what was shown out of context (especially earlier scenes)". Regarding the same sequence where the Ancient One sends Strange through the multiverse, Hayes said, "Seth Rogen's comedic drug trip sequences have nothing on the psychedelic visuals employed here. It's astounding, elaborate stuff, and easily provides the most entertaining moments in the footage."[196] IGN's Terri Schwartz said the sequences shown were where "Derrickson's horror aesthetics shine through".[127]

text: Marvel provided Twitter stickers, Giphy content, Facebook Live, Snapchat lenses and filter, Tumblr stunts, and Instagram special content related to the film. Additionally, Microsoft Surface had a promotional sponsorship of the film, due to the use of the device in the filmmaking process. A partnership with Google's Tilt Brush app featured a "Mixed Reality" "stunt with artists across Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong, inspired by different dimensions in Doctor Strange and recreating the worlds in VR for an immersive visual experience.[197]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Doctor Strange was released on digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on February 14, 2017, and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD on February 28, 2017. The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes; audio commentary; deleted scenes; a blooper reel; an exclusive preview of the Phase Three films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity War; and Team Thor: Part 2, a continuation of the "mockumentary" short film Team Thor, that was directed by Waititi. Best Buy released an exclusive collector's edition steelbook case for the regular and 3D Blu-ray release, featuring art based on the Book of Cagliostro and the Eye of Agamotto. Target's Blu-ray versions have an additional exclusive featurette, while the digital version also features an exclusive featurette.[198]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Doctor Strange grossed $232.6 million in the United States and Canada and $445.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $677.7 million.[5] The film became the biggest IMAX opening in November domestically ($12.2 million), internationally ($24 million), and globally ($24.2 million), overtaking Interstellar's records.[199] By November 27, 2016, the film had become the biggest single-character introduction film in the MCU.[200] Deadline.com calculated the net profit of the film to be $122.65 million, accounting for "production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from" home media, placing it 11th on their list of 2016's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[201]

text: Doctor Strange earned $32.6 million on its opening day in the United States and Canada, including Thursday previews, with a total weekend gross of $85.1 million; IMAX contributed $12.2 million to the opening weekend gross, with 3D contributing $24 million. The film was the number one film for the weekend, and became the second largest opening in November for Disney.[197] Initial projections for the film in late August 2016 had it earning as low as $50 million to as high as $88 million in its opening weekend,[202][203][204] with projections revised to $65–75 million closer to the film's release.[181] Doctor Strange remained the top film in its second weekend,[205] and fell to second in its third, behind Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.[206] In its fourth weekend, Doctor Strange was the third highest-grossing film, behind Fantastic Beasts and Moana.[207] It fell to fifth in its fifth and sixth weekends,[208][209] and by its seventh weekend had fallen to the ninth-highest-grossing place.[210] It was projected to earn $255 million for its total domestic gross.[203]

text: Outside the United States and Canada, Doctor Strange earned $87.7 million in its first weekend from 33 markets, becoming the top film in all markets except Lithuania and Finland. South Korea was the top market overall with $18.1 million, locally the biggest opening weekend ever for an original Marvel release, along with an all-time best opening for an IMAX film. IMAX garnered a record $7.8 million, the best international IMAX debut for a film in the month of October, with Russia seeing its biggest Saturday IMAX gross for a Marvel film. Additionally, Hong Kong ($3.2 million), Thailand ($2.5 million), Malaysia ($2.4 million), and Singapore ($2.2 million) also had the biggest opening weekend ever for an original Marvel film.[179] In its second weekend, the film opened in 22 additional markets, becoming the top film in China with $44.4 million, the highest 3-day opening weekend for a first installment superhero film there. China's opening was also the third highest for an MCU film, behind Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, as well as the best 3-day opening for an IMAX film in November with $6.3 million. IMAX also set November opening records in India, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Brazil was also a top market, earning $7.9 million.[199] Doctor Strange remained the number one film in its third weekend for the third consecutive week in Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore, and number one for the second week in China and Russia. It also became the highest-grossing original MCU release in India, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.[211] Its fourth weekend saw China's total gross surpass $100 million, "an increasingly rare feat in 2016."[212] The next weekend, Doctor Strange opened in Argentina, where it was the number one film and earned $1 million.[200] The film's fourteenth weekend saw it open in Japan, where it was number one with $4.5 million.[213] As of December 4, 2016[update], the film's largest markets were China ($110.3 million), South Korea ($41.3 million), and the United Kingdom and Ireland ($27.9 million).[214]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 90% approval rating, based on reviews from 298 critics, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Doctor Strange artfully balances its outré source material against the blockbuster constraints of the MCU, delivering a thoroughly entertaining superhero origin story in the bargain."[215] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[216] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[197]

text: The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy called Doctor Strange "an engaging, smartly cast and sporadically eye-popping addition" to the franchise, adding "this action movie ostensibly rooted in the mind-expanding tenets of Eastern mysticism is different enough to establish a solid niche alongside the blockbuster combine's established money machines." McCarthy, in addition to praising the acting, felt that there were certain sequences that "go far beyond [Inception] in visual spectacle" and that the time manipulation sequences, "seen to outstanding advantage in 3D, [were what] mind-trip-seeking audiences back in Doctor Strange's origin days would have called 'far-out' but today's fans will simply deem 'amazing'."[217] Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "Marvel’s most satisfying entry since Spider-Man 2," and wrote that despite having "the same look, feel, and fancy corporate sheen" as the other MCU films, it "boasts an underlying originality and freshness missing from the increasingly cookie-cutter comic-book realm of late." Debruge also praised the casting along with the multitude of visual effects the film was able to achieve.[36] Alonso Duralde, reviewing for TheWrap said, "True, Doctor Strange is an origin story, and occasionally hemmed in by the genre's narrative requirements, but it's smart enough to bring in great British actors to make the predictable paces and life lessons feel fresh and fascinating." Regarding the film's visuals, Duralde praised them, exclaiming, "In a year where bloated, empty spectacles have induced a crushing level of CG fatigue, this funny, freaky adventure reminds us of how effective VFX can be when they've got some imagination behind them."[218] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "The giddily enjoyable Doctor Strange... is part of Marvel's strategy for world domination, yet it's also so visually transfixing, so beautiful and nimble that you may even briefly forget the brand.[219] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times said, "Within the familiar narrative contours of the origin story, writer-director Scott Derrickson crams in enough out-of-body experiences, spatial-temporal shenanigans and dazzlingly kaleidoscopic visuals to make you wonder if he and his co-writers ... were dropping acid behind the scenes."[220]

text: Conversely, Angelica Jade Bastién, writing for RogerEbert.com, said, "For all of its wondrous world-building and trippy effects, Doctor Strange isn't the evolutionary step forward for Marvel that it needs to be storytelling-wise. Underneath all of its improvements, the core narrative is something we've seen countless times."[221] Mara Reinstein of US Weekly called the film "joyless" and wrote, "Despite [Benedict Cumberbatch's] alluring powers, he can't save an overly convoluted film that relies on a galaxy of derivative 3-D special-effect tricks... Nobody is having much fun here — save for the doctor's Cloak of Levitation that has its own devilish personality and can whisk him out of scary situations."[222] Rex Reed of the New York Observer called Doctor Strange "an awkwardly cliché-riddled mix of hamstrung imagination and bizarro reality" and said, "None of it makes any sense... For characterization, dialogue, narrative arc, acceptable acting and coherence, go elsewhere."[223] Adam Graham of The Detroit News said, "Cumberbatch is wildly charismatic in the lead role... But that’s the thing: He’s a better party guest than he is a host. Doctor Strange is a fine introduction, but by the end, you’re not sad to be headed for the door."[224]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref(s)

2016
Evening Standard British Film Awards
Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch
Nominated
[225]

Best Supporting Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Nominated

Hollywood Film Awards
Hollywood Visual Effects Award
Stephane Ceretti and Richard Bluff
Won
[226]

Hollywood Music in Media Awards
Best Original Score – Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film
Michael Giacchino
Nominated
[227]

Critics' Choice Awards
Best Hair and Makeup
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[228]

Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Best Action Movie
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Best Actor in an Action Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch
Nominated

Best Actress in an Action Movie
Tilda Swinton
Nominated

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie
Doctor Strange
Nominated

San Diego Film Critics Society
Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[229]

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
Best Action Film
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[230]

Best Horror / Science-Fiction Film
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Florida Film Critics' Circle
Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[231]

2017
Houston Film Critics Society
Technical Achievement
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[232][233]

People's Choice Awards
Favorite Year End Blockbuster
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[234]

Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[235]

Annie Awards
Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Terry Bannon, Nicholas Tripodi, Daniel Fotheringham, Matt Weaver and Julien Boudou
Won
[236]

Visual Effects Society Awards
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Stephane Ceretti, Susan Pickett, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, Paul Corbould
Nominated
[237]

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
London – Brendan Seals, Raphael A. Pimentel, Andrew Zink, Gregory Ng
Nominated

New York City – Adam Watkins, Martijn van Herk, Tim Belsher, Jon Mitchell
Won

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
New York Mirror Dimension – Landis Fields, Mathew Cowie, Frederic Medioni, Faraz Hameed
Nominated

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Hong Kong Reverse Destruction – Florian Witzel, Georges Nakhle, Azhul Mohamed, David Kirchner
Nominated

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
New York City – Matthew Lane, Jose Fernandez, Ziad Shureih, Amy Shepard
Nominated

Art Directors Guild Awards
Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film
Charles Wood
Nominated
[238]

British Academy Film Awards
Best Makeup and Hair
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[239]

Best Production Design
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Best Special Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Cinema Audio Society Awards
Motion Picture – Live Action
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[240]

Costume Designers Guild Awards
Excellence in Fantasy Film
Alexander Byrne
Won
[241]

Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards
Feature-Length Motion Picture - Best Period and/or Character Make-Up
Jeremy Woodhead
Nominated
[242]

Feature-Length Motion Picture - Best Special Make-Up Effects
Jeremy Woodhead
Nominated

Satellite Awards
Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[243]

Academy Awards
Best Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
Nominated
[244]

Empire Awards
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[245]

Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Doctor Strange
Won

Best Production Design
Doctor Strange
Nominated

Nebula Awards
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[246]

Saturn Awards
Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture
Doctor Strange
Won
[247]

Best Director
Scott Derrickson
Nominated

Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton
Won

Best Film Screenplay
Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill
Nominated

Best Production Design
Charles Wood
Nominated

Best Music
Michael Giacchino
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Alexander Byrne
Nominated

Best Make-Up
Jeremy Whitewood
Nominated

Best Special / Visual Effects
Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, and Paul Corbould
Nominated

Teen Choice Awards
Choice Sci-Fi Movie
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[248]

Choice Fantasy Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch
Nominated

Choice Fantasy Actress
Rachel McAdams
Nominated

Dragon Awards
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie
Doctor Strange
Nominated
[249]

text: Future[edit]

text: In April 2016, co-writer Cargill stated that Marvel felt some initial ideas for the film from him and Derrickson highlighted too much of the "weird stuff" associated with the character to feature in an origin story, but told the duo to hold onto them for potential future films.[45] In October 2016, Derrickson confirmed he had plans for a sequel, saying, "I love the character, I love the visual possibilities, and I know the comics so well—[the first movie is] the tip of an iceberg. There's so much progress that can be made." He would like to follow the example of The Dark Knight and "bring in a villain where you really got to go deep [and have] a more visceral experience". Cumberbatch added that he had signed on for at least one more Doctor Strange solo film.[250] Derrickson hoped to feature Nightmare in a potential sequel,[92] and expressed interest in further exploring the characters Jonathan Pangborn and Hamir in a sequel, after their smaller roles in the first film. He also explained that he is "kept in the loop" on how the Avengers films will use Strange, because of his close relationships with Feige and co-director Joe Russo.[109] Spaihts has also expressed interest in seeing Clea appear in a potential sequel.[251] By April 2017, it was reported that Derrickson would return for a potential sequel, beginning work on it after fulfilling his commitments to the television series, Locke & Key.[252]


document_title: Timeline of the introduction of color television in countries

question_text: when was colour tv introduced in the uk

question_tokens: when was colour tv introduced in the uk

root

text: This is a list of when the first color television broadcasts were transmitted to the general public. Non-public field tests and closed-circuit demonstrations are not included.

tag: p

text: Countries and territories which never had black and white television (i.e. the first broadcasts were in color), such as Zanzibar, Brunei, Botswana, Laos, South Africa, Grenada, Namibia, Macau, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Saint Lucia, Palau, Bhutan, Vanuatu, Faroe Islands, Malawi, Antigua and Barbuda, The Gambia, Tonga, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Liechtenstein, San Marino, Somalia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Dominica, Tanzania and Nepal are not included in this list.

text:
Country

Year

Network or channel

Color system

Notes

 Afghanistan

1977/1983

RTA

PAL

First experimental color broadcasts in late 1977 and stalled in 1979 due to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Returned by at least 1983 in full service.

 Albania

1981

RTSH

PAL

Color broadcasts had been available from Yugoslavia since 1971, and Italy since 1977, Frequencies have been occasionally jammed due to censorship of some programs in Albania in that time.

 Algeria

1973

RTA

PAL

RTA was transmitted in the older French 819-line standard System E, until 1973 when it started broadcasting in 625-line standard System B.[1]

 American Samoa

1969

KVZK-2

NTSC

KVZK-2 was a National Educational Television affiliate.

 Angola

1983

TPA

PAL

 Argentina

1978/1980

LS 82 Canal 7

PAL-N

Introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Regular full color transmission began at midnight on Thursday 1 May 1980. In 1969, Canal 13 made experimental transmissions in NTSC, but did not receive government approval. Subsequently, the project was cancelled.

 Armenian SSR

1973/1978

Armenia 1

SECAM/PAL

First transmission was the May Day Parade in Yerevan. Full-time color transmissions since Christmas Eve 1978.

 Australia

1967/1972 (original launch date)/1974-75

ATV-0 (now ATV-10).

PAL

Permanent color telecasts since Saturday, March 1, 1975, having been originally scheduled for 1972. First closed-circuit color test broadcast on Thursday, June 15, 1967 with live coverage of the Pakenham races.[2] Many television shows were produced and broadcast in color between 1972–1974, with limited color telecasts from mid-1974 on.

 Austria

1969/1975

ORF

PAL

First transmission was the Eurovision broadcast of New Year Concert from Vienna on Wednesday, January 1, 1969. Full-time color transmissions since January 15, 1975.

 Azerbaijan SSR

1973/1978

AzTV

SECAM/PAL

First color broadcasts in Azerbaijan started in 1973 using the SECAM standard. Full color service started in 1978.

 Bahamas

1983

ZNS-TV

NTSC

Color transmissions had been available from Miami since 1954 (WTVJ) and West Palm Beach since the late-1950s[3]

 Bahrain

1972

Bahrain TV

PAL

 Bangladesh

1980

BTV

PAL

 Barbados

1971

CBC

NTSC

 Belize

1984

Channel 7

NTSC

Color broadcasts have been available from Mexico since 1967.

 Benin

1982

OTRB

PAL

 Byelorussian SSR

1961

Belteleradio

SECAM

The first Soviet Bloc country and first country in Eastern Europe to introduce color television in 1961. Full color service came around 1979.

 Belgium

1967/1971

RTB/BRT

PAL

Color broadcasts from France (SECAM), Germany and Netherlands (PAL) were available since 1967. Early receivers were very costly owing to multiple standards: PAL/SECAM/625 lines and monochrome/819 lines

 Bermuda

1968

ZBM-TV

NTSC

ZBM was an affiliate of the U.S. network CBS. Color broadcasts have been available from the United States since 1958.

 Bolivia

1977/1980

TV Boliviana

NTSC

Experimental color broadcasts began in 1977. Full-time color arrived in 1980. Color broadcasts have been available from Brazil since 1970, but were PAL.

 Bosnia and Herzegovina

1971/1972/1973–1978

Televizija Sarajevo

PAL

First color transmission came from Belgrade in 1971, local service began in 1972 and in 1973.

 Brazil

1970/1972/1973–1978

Bandeirantes/Globo

PAL-M

First transmissions (unofficial and just for specific programs) were made between 1962 and 1963 in the city of São Paulo by Rede Tupi and also by Rede Excelsior, both using NTSC. Tests for the regular transmissions began in 1970 with the Mexico's FIFA World Cup, and the first official transmission was the coverage of the 12th Caxias do Sul Grape Festival in February 19, 1972. Limited color transmissions from 1973 to 1978. Full-time color transmissions since 1978.

 Bulgaria

1970/1977

BNT

SECAM

Full color transmissions achieved by 1977.

 Burma

1984

MRTV

NTSC

The last country in Southeast Asia to introduce color television.

 Burundi

1983

RTNB

SECAM

 Kampuchea

1981/1985

National Television of Kampuchea

SECAM/  PAL

Full-time color transmissions started in 1985, switched to PAL from 1991.

 Canada

1966

(CBC, SRC), CTV

NTSC

Officially launched in both English and French at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 1966, at the beginning of Canada's 100th year as a nation. Color broadcasts from the United States had been available since the mid-1950s. A mandatory transition to color for all transmitters took place between 1969 and 1976 on all English and French channels. CBC began Full-time color broadcasts in 1974. Full-time color officially achieved between 1976–1977.

 Central African Republic

1982

RTC

SECAM

 Chad

1982

Télé Tchad

SECAM

 Chile

1978

TVN, Canal 13

NTSC

First transmission in color was in the 13th Viña del Mar Festival, but only for export until the 18th edition. First nationwide color show transmitted was Esta noche fiesta of Canal 13 on Monday, April 10, 1978.[4] First news report in color was shown at Teletrece on April 12, 1978.[5] Full-time color transmissions since mid 1979.

 China

1973

CCTV

PAL

Full-time color transmissions since 1984.

 Colombia

1979[6]/1982

Inravisión

NTSC

Test broadcasts in SECAM were held in 1966.[7] Test for the regular transmissions began in 1971 with the coverage of that year's Pan American Games held in Cali. In 1974, the inauguration of West Germany's FIFA World Cup was aired in color in closed circuit at two colosseums in Bogota and Cali.[8] Regular color transmissions since Saturday, December 1, 1979.[6] Full-time color transmissions since 1982.

 Congo (Brazzaville)

1975

TeleCongo

SECAM

 Costa Rica

1973

TICA-TV

NTSC

 Croatia

1972

Televizija Zagreb

PAL

 Cuba

1958/1975

Tele-Color, S.A.Tele Rebelde (1975)

NTSC

Ended in 1959 as a result of the Cuban Revolution; returned in 1975.

 Cyprus

1976

CyBC

SECAM

 Czechoslovakia/ Czech Republic

1973

ČST

SECAM PAL

Regular colour broadcasts started in May 9, 1973 on second channel and in May 9, 1975 on first channel. Full color transition in late 1970's, switched to PAL broadcasting in 1993. ČST started color experiments in late 60's in PAL. After Russian invasion in 1968 SECAM was chosen for broadcasting, but not for production. TV studios worked in PAL and than it was transcoded for SECAM broadcasting till 1993.

 Denmark

1968/1970[9]

Danmarks Radio

PAL

First introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.[9] The national broadcaster's programming transitioned to color throughout 1969 and "color tests" were officially ended on Wednesday, April 1, 1970.[9] Color broadcasts had been available from Germany since 1967.

 Djibouti

1974

RTD

SECAM

 Dominican Republic

1969

Color Visión

NTSC

 Ecuador

1974

EcuavisaTeleamazonas

NTSC

 Egypt

1973

ETV

PAL

 Equatorial Guinea

1976

RNGE

SECAM

 El Salvador

1973

YSU-TV

NTSC

 Estonian SSR

1967/1972

ETV

SECAM/  PAL

First color broadcasts came from Moscow; first local color program was transmitted on Saturday, December 30, 1972. Transitioned from SECAM to PAL 1992–1999.

 Ethiopia

1979

ETV

PAL

 Finland

1970/1977

YLE/MTV

PAL

First test broadcast in color was the President Urho Kekkonen's New Year speech in 1969. First experimental color broadcast in 1970. Full-time color broadcasts since 1977. Color Broadcasts have been available from the Åland Islands since 1969 where there is a Sveriges Television AB (Sweden Television) transmitter on the islands, and the Soviet Union since 1967 but transmissions were in SECAM.

 France

1967/1976/1983

ORTF

SECAM

Introduced on La Deuxième Chaîne at 2:15pm (14:15) on Sunday, October 1, 1967. The first channel TF1 remained B&W for years due to being transmitted in the older 819-line standard: its transition to color 625-line began on Thursday, January 1, 1976 and the full nationwide color coverage was only achieved in 1983.[10]

 French Polynesia

1971

RFO (Télé Tahiti, now Polynésie la Première)

SECAM

 French Guiana

1974

RFO (Guyane RFO TV)

SECAM

 Gabon

1973

RTG

SECAM

 Georgian SSR

1975–1976/1984

Georgian Public Broadcaster

SECAM

Early color broadcasts came from Moscow since at least 1975 and 1976 during certain events. The last Soviet Bloc country to introduce color television in 1984.

 East Germany

1969

DFF

SECAM

Introduced on Friday, October 3, 1969 on the new second television channel launched for that purpose with a symbolic launch button pressed by Walter Ulbricht on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the GDR on Tuesday, October 7. The television tower in East Berlin was also opened that day.

 West Germany

1967

ARD/ZDF

PAL

Introduced on both channels simultaneously at 9:30am on Friday, August 25, 1967 with a symbolic launch button pressed by Willy Brandt on the International Radio and Television Fair in West Berlin.

 Ghana

1980

GTV

PAL

 Gibraltar

1969

GBC

PAL

 Greece

1976/1977–1979

ERT

SECAM

Test color broadcasts began in 1976. Full color broadcasts started on 1977 to 1979. ERT switched to PAL in 1992.

 Greenland

1984/1987/1990

KNR

PAL

Color broadcasts from Canada had been available since 1972, but were NTSC. Private transmitters were built to receive TV signals from Canada long before Greenland had their native TV service which came into broadcast in 1982. Full-time color service came in 1984, remote areas continued to broadcast in black and white until c. 1987–1990.

 Guadeloupe

1972

RFO (Guadeloupe 1ère)

SECAM

 Guinea

1971

RTG

PAL

Color broadcasts from the Ivory Coast had been available since 1970, but were SECAM.

 Guinea-Bissau

1981

RTGB

PAL

 Guatemala

1970

RTG

NTSC

First Central American country to introduce color television; color broadcasts available from Mexico since 1967.

 Guam

1970

KUAM-TV

NTSC

KUAM was a primary NBC affiliate that also carried some programming from ABC and CBS.

 Haiti

1971

Télé Haïti[11]

NTSC

 Honduras

1973

Canal 3 Honduras

NTSC

 Hong Kong

1969/1975

TVB

PAL

Introduced for the Festival of Hong Kong in December 1969. Full-time color broadcasts since 1975.

 Hungary

1971/1975

Magyar Televízió

SECAM

Full color broadcasts introduced in 1975.

 Iceland

1974–1976

RÚV (Sjónvarpið)

PAL

Full-time color broadcasts since 1974 to 1976.

 India

1978/1979–1981/1982

Doordarshan

PAL

Experimental color broadcasts began in 1978. Color broadcasts from Pakistan had been available since 1977. Full color broadcasts were introduced in 1979  and 1981 to 1982.

 Indonesia

1977

TVRI

PAL

Full-time color broadcasts began on Tuesday 24 August 1982.

 Iran

1973

NIRT

SECAM

 Iraq

1968

RTI

SECAM

First Muslim country to introduce color television.

 Ireland

1971

RTÉ

PAL

Introduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin on Saturday, April 3, 1971; color broadcasts from United Kingdom available since 1967–69.
Full-time color broadcasts began in 1976.

 Israel

1977/1983

IBA/IETV

PAL

Introduced for the coverage of the Egyptian president's visit to Israel in November 1977, then reintroduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem on Saturday, March 31, 1979. Gradual transition to full-time color transmissions from 1980 to 1983. Full-time color transmissions since February 1983. Color broadcasts from Jordan and Egypt had been available since 1974 and Lebanon since 1975. Since color TVs were considered more expensive, the government ordered removing the color signals, in the name of public equality. Engineers have managed to produce a device that extrapolates the colors from programs that were originally shot in color, and such devices were sold to the thousands. Major television networks in Israel have been filming programs in color for foreign audiences since at least 1974.

 Italy

1972/1977

RAI

PAL

Introduction temporarily stalled by political turmoil. Color broadcasts from France (SECAM) had been available since 1967, and from Austria (PAL) since 1969. Privately operated transmitter chains made these signals available as far as Rome. First color test was in 1972 Summer Olympic Games. The Sanremo Music Festival began to be broadcast in color in 1973, as well as, in the same year, the Jeux Sans Frontières. Full-time color transmissions started on Tuesday, February 1, 1977.

 Ivory Coast

1970

RTI

SECAM

 Jamaica

1975

JBC

NTSC

Color broadcasts have been available from Haiti since 1971.

 Japan

1960

NHK/NTVTBSYTV ABC

NTSC-J

The first Asian country to introduce color television, on Saturday, September 10, 1960.

 Jordan

1974

JTV

PAL

 Kazakh SSR

1977

Kazakhstan

SECAM/  PAL

Full color transmissions introduced in the 1980s.

 Kenya

1978

KBC

PAL

 North Korea

1977–1980

KCTV

PAL

Full color broadcasts were introduced by 1977 to 1980.

 South Korea

1975/1981

KBS/MBC

NTSC

Test color broadcasts began in 1975. Full-time color broadcasts since 1981. Color broadcasts have been available from North Korea since 1974.

 Kuwait

1974

KTV

PAL

 Kirghiz SSR

1981

Kyrgyz Television

SECAM

Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics.

 Latvian SSR

1968/1974

LTV

SECAM/  PAL

First color broadcasts came from Moscow. First local color program was transmitted on Monday, January 28, 1974. Switched from SECAM to PAL on February 2, 1998.

 Lebanon

1967/1975

CLT/Télé Liban

SECAM

In 1967, CLT became the third television station in the world after the Soviet Union and France to broadcast in color, utilizing the French SECAM technology. [12]

 Liberia

1975

LBS

PAL

 Libya

1976

Al-Libyah TV

PAL

 Lithuanian SSR

1968

LRT

SECAM/  PAL

Used SECAM as part of the USSR 1968–1990, and 1990–1997. PAL has been in use since 1997.

 Luxembourg

1972

Compangnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion

PAL  SECAM

The then only channel for audiences in Luxembourg, France and Belgium originally used the French/Belgian 819-line B&W standard. After Belgium and France opted for different color systems, Luxembourg broadcast two versions of the same channel. All later RTL channels aimed at French-, German- and Dutch-speaking audiences in Europe adopted the standards of their target markets.

 Macedonia

1974

Televizija Skopje

PAL

 Madagascar

1977

MBS

SECAM

 Malaysia

1978/1979–1981/1982

RTM

PAL

Introduced in Peninsular Malaysia on Thursday 28 December 1978 and in Sabah and Sarawak on Sunday 31 August 1980. Color had been available from Southern Thailand since 1972 and Singapore since 1974.  Full-time color broadcasts began on 1979 to 1981 to Friday 1 January 1982.

 Maldives

1984

TVM

PAL

Color had been available from India since 1982.

 Mali

1984

ORTM

SECAM

 Malta

1981

TVM

PAL

Color broadcasts from Italy had been available since 1977, full color service began in 1981

 Martinique

1969

RFO (Martinique 1ère)

SECAM

 Mauritania

1984

TV de Mauritanie

PAL

 Mauritius

1978

MBC

SECAM

Color television arrived on a full-time schedule in 1978.

 Mexico

1963

Canal 5 Telesistema Mexicano (now Televisa)

NTSC

Launched Friday, February 8, 1963 with the program Paraiso Infantil.  Color had been available previously in a few border cities from the United States, on a limited basis.  Full-time color transmissions started with the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. Curiously, Mexico had its own system of color television, invented by Guillermo González, prior to NTSC adoption, which would be used in the 1964 Olympic Games.

 Moldavian SSR

1978

TeleRadio-Moldova

SECAM/  PAL

 Monaco

1973

TMC

PAL /  SECAM

Color broadcasts from France had been available since 1967.

 Mongolia

1975

MNB

SECAM

 Montenegro

1974

JRT/Televizija Titograd (now TV CG 1)

PAL

 Morocco

1973

RTM

SECAM

First test transmission was in 1972.

 Mozambique

1984

TVM

PAL

 Netherlands

1967

NPO

PAL

Introduced on both national channels on Thursday, September 21, 1967.

 Netherlands Antilles

1973

TeleCuraçao

NTSC

 New Caledonia

1972

RFO (France Ô - New Caledonia)

SECAM

New Caledonia first broadcast in color for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and a Chinese program in 1973, full color broadcasts became official in 1978.[citation needed]

 New Zealand

1973/1975

NZBC

PAL

Introduced in November 1973, as part of preparations for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch in February 1974.[13] Full-time color was achieved by December 1975.[14] Color broadcasts have been available from Australia in parts of New Zealand since the early 1970s.

 Nicaragua

1973

Televicentro Canal 2

NTSC

 Niger

1979

Télé Sahel

SECAM

Color broadcasts had been available from Nigeria from 1974, but were PAL.

 Nigeria

1974

WNTV (now called the NTA)

PAL

 Norway

1972/1975

NRK

PAL

Experimental color broadcasts introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Regular test transmissions from Saturday, January 1, 1972. Full-time color broadcasts since Wednesday, January 1, 1975. Color broadcasts had been available from Sweden since 1970, in parts of Norway and Finland since 1969.

 Oman

1984

Oman TV

PAL

 Pakistan

1977

PTV

PAL

Full-time color transmissions since 1982.

 Panama

1972

NTP

NTSC

 Paraguay

1979

TV Cerro Corá

PAL-N

 Peru

1978

TV PerúAmérica TelevisiónPanamericana Televisión

NTSC

First color test transmission was done in 1967 by Panamericana Televisión for a soap opera but for economic and political reasons the project was canceled. Channel 7 made test broadcasts with their own content since 1977 that became official on January 17, 1978 when color standard adopted and official broadcasts were authorised. The first color broadcast was the coverage of the 1978 election. América Televisión and Panamericana Televisión began their regular color broadcasting with the broadcast of the 1978 Argentina's FIFA World Cup. Transition completed on October 1, 1980.

 Philippines

1966

ABS-CBN

NTSC

First color test transmission was in 1963. Commercial launch in June 1966 using RCA color; and full-time color transmissions began in 1971 when color sets became more widespread in the Manila area and suburbs.

 Poland

1971

TVP

SECAM

First time color program was broadcast on March 16, 1971 & regular broadcasting began on December 6, 1971 for 6th PUWP congress. The 1972 Munich Olympic Games Use Color in SECAM. Transitioned to PAL on January 1, 1994 for all TVP channels except for TVP1 which transitioned on January 1, 1995.

 Portugal

1976/1980

RTP

PAL

First experimental broadcasts for the coverage of the 1976 election and The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Introduced for the Portuguese version of Jeux Sans Frontières on Wednesday, September 5, 1979; color broadcasts from Spain available since 1972. Full-color transmissions started March 7, 1980[15].

 Puerto Rico

1979

All

PAL

Introduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem on March 31, 1979.  Full-time color transmissions since 1985.

 Qatar

1974

QBS

PAL

Color broadcasts from Bahrain had been available since 1973.

 Réunion

1972

RFO (1ère Réunion)

SECAM

Introduced for the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics.

 Romania

1985

TVR

PAL

Despite being in the Eastern Bloc, Romania used PAL and chose not to adopt SECAM, unlike the other Warsaw Pact countries, and was introduced in time for the 39th anniversary of King Michael's Coup in 1983.  Full-time color broadcasts since 1984 and 1985 to 1990. Romania became the last country to introduce color television.

 Rwanda

1982

ORINFOR

SECAM

 Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla

1982

ZIZ-TV

NTSC

Color broadcasts have been available from Guadeloupe since 1972, but were SECAM.

 Saint Pierre and Miquelon

1971

RFO (1eré SPM TV; Previously known as ORTF)

SECAM

Color transmissions had been available from Newfoundland and Labrador since 1967, but were NTSC. There are transmitters in SPM that can carry a signal from Newfoundland and Labrador which converts it to SECAM from NTSC and in some cases, In Fortune, Newfoundland, 1eré is converted to NTSC by a transmitter that is placed there.

 Saudi Arabia

1973

SAGTS

SECAM

 Senegal

1975

RTS

SECAM

 Sierra Leone

1978[16]

SLBS

PAL

 Singapore

1974–1975

Radio Television Singapore (RTS)

PAL

Test transmissions began for the 1974 Tehran Asian Games and officially introduced on 8 July for the 1974 World Cup Final. Full-time color broadcasts began on 1 November 1975 and from 1976 to 1977.

 Slovakia

1970/1973

ČST

SECAM PAL

First color transmission in 1970 during World Ski Championship which was broadcast in PAL. Adopted SECAM in 1973 with full color transition in late 1970s. Switched to PAL in 1993.

 Slovenia

1976/1976

Televizija Ljubljana

PAL

First Testing The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Full Tine Color Transition in 1977

 Spain

1973

RTVE

PAL

Color broadcasts had been available from France since 1967, but were SECAM.  First color test was in 1972. Full-time color broadcasts since 1977, although monochrome commercials continued to be made until 1978. The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid was a color production, but it was televised in black-and-white to the local audience.

 Sudan

1976

Sudan TV

PAL

 Suriname

1977

STVS

NTSC

 Sweden

1970

Sveriges Radio TV

PAL

Test transmissions started on Wednesday, December 14, 1966. Regular color service and color license fee introduced Wednesday, April 1, 1970.

  Switzerland

1968

SBC

PAL

Switzerland used PAL to broadcast the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, color transmissions had been available from France and Germany since 1967.

 Syria

1980

STV

PAL

 Taiwan

1975

CTV

NTSC

Full-time color transmissions since 1975.

 Tajik SSR

1982

TVT

SECAM

Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics.

 Thailand

1969

Channel 7

PAL

Although television in Thailand originally employed a 525-line screen (System M, US standard at the time), the country opted for PAL color, which necessitated a conversion to system B (625 lines), starting with Channel 7 in November 1967. Regional stations converted between 1972 and 1975.

 Togo

1979

TVT

SECAM

 Trinidad and Tobago

1969

TTT

NTSC

 Tunisia

1976

RTT

PAL

Color broadcasts have been available from Italy since 1972.

 Turkey

1984[17]

TRT

PAL

Test transmissions started with the New Year's Eve celebrations on Thursday, December 31, 1981 and 1 January 1982; full color television did not start until Sunday, July 1, 1984. Color broadcasts from Greece had been available since 1976 and Bulgaria since at least 1971.

 Turkmen SSR

1970

Turkmen Television

SECAM

First Central Asian country to introduce color television. Introduced on Saturday, October 31, 1970 in preparation for the start of Ramadan.

 Uganda

1975

UTV

PAL

 Ukrainian SSR

1967/1975

UT-1

SECAM/  PAL

First transmission came from Moscow in 1967, Ukraine uses SECAM in for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Local color broadcasts began in 1968 and 1969 to 1975.

 United Arab Emirates

1974

UAE-TV

PAL

 United Kingdom

1967/1969/1976

BBC 2 (1967) BBC 1 (1969) ITV (1969)

PAL

Introduced on BBC 2 for Wimbledon coverage on Saturday, July 1, 1967. The launch of the BBC 2 "full" color service took place on December 2, 1967. Some British TV programs, however, had been produced in color even before the introduction of color television in 1967, for the purpose of sales to American, Canadian, and Filipino networks. Full-time color broadcasts since 1969.[18] Full nationwide color broadcasting achieved in 1976, when BBC East (Norwich) became the last region to adopt colour for regional broadcasts and locally-produced programmes.

 United States

1950

CBS

CBS

Field-sequential color system; experimental; ended 1951.[19] The first country with black and white transmission to introduce color television.

 United States

1953

NBCCBS

NTSC

Dot sequential system.[20] The US began a gradual transition to color in late 1953. The first color TV sets were very expensive and the audience for color was accordingly very small, so only specials and a handful of regularly scheduled shows aired in color during the 1950s. Market penetration slowly increased as more affordable sets and more color programming became available. A tipping point came in 1965, when the commercial networks first aired the majority of their prime-time shows in color. By the end of 1966, prime-time was all-color, but an ever-dwindling number of daytime, local and educational programs continued in black-and-white for a few more years.

 United States - Alaska

1966

KENI-TV (now KTUU)

NTSC

First program in color, on Monday, September 19, 1966, was the premiere episode of That Girl, an ABC show.  KENI was a primary affiliate of both NBC and ABC. Transitioned to full color service by 1972. Color broadcasts have been available from the USSR since 1967 but were SECAM.

 United States - Hawaii

1965

KONA-TV, now KHON-TV; KHVH-TV, now KITV; KGMB

NTSC

KHVH was an ABC affiliate, KGMB was CBS, and KONA was NBC. Transitioned to full color service around 1969.

 Soviet Union Russia

1967/1975

Soviet Central Television (Now Channel One (Russia))

SECAM

Introduced specifically for the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the October Revolution. Full-time colorcasts began with the Revolution's 58th anniversary, in 1975. Some parts of the USSR received color from Alaska since 1966 in some circumstances when signals were not jammed in some parts and was received by contraband receivers to pick up signals.

 Upper Volta

1976

Volta Vision

SECAM

This country is now known as Burkina Faso.

 Uruguay

1981

CXB-10

PAL-N

Introduced for the 1980 Mundialito but locally broadcast in B&W. Local color broadcasting started in 1981.

 Uzbek SSR

1984

MTRK

SECAM

Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics. The last Central Asian country to introduce color television.

 Venezuela

1974–1980

RCTVVenevision

NTSC

Color tests were made during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. Color television arrived on a full-time schedule on Monday 1 January 1973 and 1974 to Saturday 1 December 1979 by TVN5. Transition completed on Sunday 1 June 1980. Color broadcasts have been available from Trinidad and Tobago since 1969.

 Vietnam

1977

VTV

SECAM/  PAL

The first color television program aired on Tết.[21] Color televisions were available only in big cities until the late 1980s. Switched to PAL from 1990.

 U.S. Virgin Islands

1968

WBNB-TV

NTSC

WBNB was a CBS affiliate whose first color broadcasts took place during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico.  This station was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

 North Yemen

1979

NYRTC

PAL

 South Yemen

1981

SYRTC

PAL

Color broadcasts had been available from North Yemen since 1979.

 Yugoslavia Serbia

1971

JRT/Televizija Beograd (now RTS1)

PAL

Introduced on the launch of the second TVB channel (TVB 2), as it was the first Yugoslav channel to start in color. From the late 1970s, TVB 1 switches to color, thus making all channels broadcast in color. (both TVB 1 and TVB 2, as they were only the channels available in that time) Full-time color broadcasts in SR Serbia began on May 25, 1979.

 Zaire

1980

OZRT

SECAM

 Zambia

1977

ZNBC

PAL

 Zimbabwe

1984[22]

ZBC

PAL

The last country in Africa to introduce color television. Color broadcasts have been available from Zambia since 1977 and South Africa since 1976.

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