“Venom: The Last Dance” aims to invigorate the October box office this weekend with an anticipated domestic opening of $65 million and around $100 million overseas, although it appears that this latest installment may see the lowest North American launch in Sony’s successful antihero series.
The original “Venom” debuted to $80.2 million back in 2018, setting an October record, which was later surpassed by “Joker” in 2019 with $96.2 million. The sequel, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” opened in October 2021 to $90 million, providing a significant boost for theaters recovering from the pandemic and marking a considerable success for Sony.
“Venom: The Last Dance” is projected to secure the largest opening of October 2024 so far, succeeding where “Joker: Foile à Deux” faltered with a $37 million debut, following the sequel’s notably poor D CinemaScore. It’s typical for third films in a franchise to experience a decline in box office numbers, but Sony believes that dedicated fans will deem the third movie the best yet, driving ticket sales beyond expectations.
Reviews for “Venom 3” will be released at noon on Wednesday, and the film’s budget is reported to be $120 million before marketing costs. On Wednesday, “Venom 3” made its debut in several international markets, earning an impressive $9.3 million in China, which marks the best opening day for a comic book film since Sony’s own “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” In light of this success, Sony has raised its foreign opening forecast to $100 million, up from the previous estimate of $85 million.
Directed by Kelly Marcel, “Venom 3” features Tom Hardy reprising his role as the titular character. Hardy also co-wrote the screenplay with Marcel, who is directing a feature film for the first time.
Opening alongside “Venom 3” is “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger, an acclaimed thriller set in the Vatican that revolves around the election of a new pope. Produced and financed by FilmNation and Indian Paintbrush, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Focus Features, which secured domestic distribution rights for a fee, will release “Conclave” in 1,742 theaters. Targeting adult audiences, the film, which has a production cost of just under $20 million, is projected to earn between $4 million and $6 million during its opening weekend, before continuing its run through the awards season, backed by a 95 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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