Despite scathing reviews, Venom is off to a strong start at the box office. Sony Pictures’ PG-13 Marvel Comics adaptation raked in an impressive $10 million from Thursday preview showings, which is the highest Thursday gross for October in history. That’s also higher than the $6.4 million that Ant-Man and the Wasp pulled in on Thursday earlier this summer. Experts peg Venom’s opening weekend in the $57 million to $65 million range, which would be enough to beat the October opening weekend record set by Gravity in 2013. That Oscar-winning film scored $55.7 million on its opening weekend, not adjusted for inflation.
But there’s also curiosity as to how front-loaded Venom will be at the box office, especially given the mostly negative reviews. It’s possible the Thursday gross is due to the die-hard Venom fans who were eager to get a first look at the film, and its box office could fall off day-by-day over the weekend. Or it’s possible general audiences are just looking for an excuse to see Tom Hardy do weird accents, so a solid box office is certainly possible. That would be music to Sony’s ears, as the studio crafted Venom to begin its own series of Marvel Comics adaptations separate from the Spider-Man movies, which are produced by Marvel Studios. Indeed, Marvel Studios had no involvement in Venom at all and Hardy’s character does not exist in the same MCU as Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Yet…
But Venom isn’t the only movie off to a great star. Bolstered by intense Oscar buzz, Bradley Cooper’s R-rated directorial debut A Star Is Born collected $3.2 million on Thursday—an impressive Thursday number for an adult drama. Projections for Star are a little all over the place, with some predicting the film will cross $40 million this weekend while others are more conservative with a $30 million debut. Regardless, the $30 million film will have significant legs as it’s sure to be a constant presence on the awards circuit.
Both Venom and A Star Is Born will benefit this weekend by being so different from one another, which could result in a record-setting October box office. They’ll be pulling in different audiences, both of whom are eager and passionate about seeing each film.
Stay tuned this weekend for the actual box office estimates. For more on Venom, peruse our recent links below.
- 'Venom' Post-Credits Scene Explained
- 'Venom's Long Road to the Big Screen, Explained
- Tom Hardy on the Jekyll and Hyde Dynamic in 'Venom'
- Listen to a Track from the 'Venom' Soundtrack
