Not long after "Doctor Strange" premiered in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 20, the Marvel Comics titular movie has made an unexpected crossover with ABC's noontime soap "General Hospital." Viewers and critics in response reacted to the awkward and uncanny mention of the film in the series.
"Doctor Strange" Crossover Irrelevant, Obvious
Product placement has been popularized in the entertainment industry these days to boost promotion. This often happens between shows or films under the same mother company to help endorse a certain product. As for the unexpected "Doctor Strange" mention on "General Hospital" recently, viewers slammed the crossover for being totally irrelevant and obvious.
"Doctor Strange" In A "General Hospital" Scene
In a conversation of Ned Ashton (Wally Kurth) and Olivia Falconeri (Lisa LoCicero) where the former expressed his sweet talk to the latter saying "I missed you," Olivia blurted out, "Well, Dr. Strange is about to hit theaters pretty soon." The conversation went on with Ned saying, "You may be surprised to hear this, but if I can't see that movie with you, I won't see it." The scene ended with Olivia kissing Ned.
"General Hospital" - "Dr. Strange" Tie-In Slammed
On Twitter, many "General Hospital" viewers have expressed their thoughts about the said tie-in. Here are some of them:
How in the hell did I miss this AWESOME #generalhospital #DoctorStrange plug? Gratuitous to the point of greatness! pic.twitter.com/lMryaQdrwk
— Umar H. Soaries (@UmarHSoaries) October 18, 2016
Was an ad for Doctor Strange literally a part of the plot of this General Hospital episode? side note: this show is still going?
— Ryan Valencia (@RyanValencia30) October 12, 2016
In many ways, the irrelevant and obvious crossover was slammed particularly because of its poor delivery and script writing. The only they way can find commonality is that "Doctor Strange" himself is a doctor and he could possibly be working at the "General Hospital." Not to mention though that "Dr. Strange" is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the owner of American Broadcasting Network (ABC) where "General Hospital" airs.
"Doctor Strange" hits U.S. theaters on Nov. 4. "General Hospital" meanwhile airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.
