New York – “Venom: The Last Dance” It fell short of expectations at the box office and collected $51 million in its opening weekend, significantly less than previous entries in the Alien Symbiote franchise, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Sony Pictures’ third “Venom” film was estimated to make closer to $65 million. What was even more worrying, however, was that the first two “Venom” movies were scrapped.
The 2018 original opened with $80.2 million, while the 2021 follow-up, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” opened with $90 million, while theaters were still in recovery mode during the pandemic.
“the last Dance,” Starring Tom Hardy as a journalist who shares his body with an alien entity, also voiced by Hardy, could still turn a profit for Sony.
Its production budget, excluding promotion and marketing, was approximately $120 million – significantly less than most comic-book films.
But “The Last Dance” is also doing better overseas. Internationally, “Venom: The Last Dance” collected $124 million over the weekend, including $46 million in five days of release in China.
That’s good enough for one of the best international weekends of the year for a Hollywood release.
Still, neither reviews (36% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) nor audience scores (a franchise-low “B-” CinemaScore) have been good for the film, written by Kelly Marcel and Hardy and directed by Marcel.
The low weekend for “Venom: The Last Dance” also ensures that superhero movies will see their lowest-grossing year in a dozen years, not counting the pandemic year of 2020, according to David A. Gross, a film consultant who Publish. Newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.
following on the heels of ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ flopsGross estimates that by 2024 superhero films will gross approximately $2.25 billion worldwide.
The only upcoming entry is Marvel’s “Kraven the Hunter,” which is scheduled for release on December 13. Even with “Deadpool and Wolverine” grossing $1.3 billion, the genre overall doesn’t dominate the way it once did. For example, in 2018, superhero films accounted for more than $7 billion in global ticket sales.
Last Week’s Top Movies, Paramount Pictures Horror sequel “Smile 2” Dropped to second place with $9.4 million. This brings its two-week total worldwide gross to $83.7 million.
Could be the biggest success story of the weekend “conclave,” Papal thriller (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) starring Ralph Fiennes and directed by Edward Berger.
The Focus Features release, a leading Oscar contender, launched with $6.5 million in 1,753 theaters.
This brought “Conclave” to third place, making it the rare adult-oriented drama to make a dramatic impact. Focus said that about 77% of ticket buyers were over the age of 35.
With a strong start and great reviews, “Conclave” could continue to gain momentum among both moviegoers and Oscar voters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Venom: The Last Dance,” $51 million.
2. “Smile 2,” $9.4 million.
3. “Conclave,” $6.5 million.
4. “The Wild Robot,” $6.5 million.
5. “We Live in Time,” $4.8 million.
6. “Terrifier 3,” $4.3 million.
7, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $3.2 million.
8. “Anora,” $867,142.
9. “Pieces and Pieces,” $720,000.
10. “Transformers One,” $720,000.
