Venom poised to break October opening record with $60-70 million

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Some VENOM fans out there may be left a bit jaded after news broke yesterday that the movie is officially rated PG-13, but let’s face it, most of you are still going to see it opening weekend. The latest comic book movie from Sony is actually looking to have a pretty massive opening weekend, and current insiders are projecting the movie could break the current October opening weekend record.

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According to THR, box office insiders are currently predicting that comic book movie starring Tom Hardy could open anywhere between $60-70 million during its first weekend, which would place it above the current record of $55 million held by 2013’s GRAVITY. The opening would also zoom over other big openers like THE MARTIAN ($54 million) and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 ($52 million), establishing the comic book genre’s dominance over all others.

One movie that may stop VENOM from making even more than it can is the highly-anticipated drama A STAR IS BORN with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The movie is currently tracking for around $25 million, but the world of mouth out of TIFF has been extraordinary as it secures its place in the Oscar race. This positive buzz will likely drive even bigger crowds to the theaters, and the opening could even go as high as $30+ million. 

The movie’s length and rating were revealed yesterday, and Sony will be kicking its promotion into high gear as the movie is now three weeks away from release. This means we may be seeing some new footage and learning more about the characters, and Sony may even drop some more tidbits meant to get audiences excited in their $100 million Marvel movie. Fans have also been speculating that Spider-Man (Tom Holland) may have an appearance, given that Sony still owns the rights to the character. Though that is nothing but a massive rumor, even the idea could drive fans of the genre out in greater masse. Hey, you never know.

Even though I’m not as excited for it as I want to be I’ll still be there on opening weekend to see what Hardy and director Ruben Fleischer have cooked up. A Venom franchise without Spider-Man may be a bit pointless, but who knows, maybe they’ve found a way to make the character stand on his own that will get people on the antihero’s side. At least the character will be reciting such poetry as "Turd in the Wind," so that will count for something. 

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VENOM arrives October 5 with Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed and more.