Cumberbatch is an aclaimed theatre actor, got an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor for the Immitation Game and is the modern face of Sherlock. The guy's got a huge international appeal, to the point where even folks like my parents know and like him. He's certainly no small fry.
As for the bolded, you don't know that any more than you know that Strange is gonna flop. People were saying that MoS would hit 900M and have an 80+ on RT. We saw what happened. People were saying that BvS would be the event of the century, would dethrone Avatar and make 2.5 billion while having a 90+ on RT. And again, we saw how that turned out.
Yes, SKWAD has Joker, Will Smith and a lengthy cameo from Batman. But it also has an unrecognizable, to the majority, name, is coming after BvS, is a radical departure from most CBMs and features characters like Katana, Boomerang and the like in starring roles. It's not exactly a household name, and neither does it feature a buttload of A-List actors.
For the record, I don't believe that SS will flop. If anything, I think it'll be a great succes. But to say that Strange will flop whereas SKWAD is gonna make money no matter what, is a tad ignorant. What Strange lacks in character recognition, it makes up with brand recognition and synergy.
We, the regular folk, don't know jack**** about whether or not a movie is gonna flop or be a massive success. We can go by the numbers or read some articles close to release, by actual analysts who know their job. To say that it's gonna flop based on mere instict 7 months before its release and after a measly teaser ain't exactly something I put much stock in.
Pretty much this. Maybe it'll not make 800M due to it being a tad different. But will it make a measly 200M and be Marvel's first flop? I really doubt it.
