The Marvel Cinematic Universe craze isn't dying down anytime soon. With the fourth phase of the studio's blockbuster rollout bringing in such hits as Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings and Black Widow to the big screen, Marvel Comics continues to rack in millions from their action-packed, superhero flicks. But it looks like another Marvel character is making pretty big numbers in a separate studio after its box office opening weekend.
Sony Pictures' Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage features Spiderman's blood coiling foe from the comics, Eddie Brook, as he fights off the newest baddie in town, Carnage. This highly anticipated addition to Marvel's cinematic lore saw fans running to the movies faster than you could say Excelsior! It was such a hit, and it made $90 million on its opening weekend - the second biggest October opening in movie history!
The humdrum of the pandemic made theatres the perfect place to escape from the grim reality. Venom 2: Let There be Carnage provided just the entertainment that we've all been looking for as it saw the biggest theatre opening since the pandemic began. It instantly took the top spot in the box office on the first Friday it released, garnering a whopping $37 million. That's a step up from the first Venom film, which made $32 million on its opening day four years ago. This blew Sony's initial projections for the film out the water, as the studio expected for it to make somewhere between $40-50 million.
"We knew we had a really big movie and an excited fanbase. The marketplace comes out for the right movie," Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group's President, Sanford Panitch, says in a statement.
Tom Hardy returned in his role as the monstrous antihero of the movie's namesake, accompanied by film legend Woody Harrelson, who takes on the part of Venom's adversary, Carnage. The blockbuster was directed by Andy Serkis, prolific voice actor of Lord of the Rings fame. Not able to make it to the theatres? No problem!
Sony's offering the movie up to a number of different streaming services in the near future. You'll be able to rent or buy the movie and watch it in the comfort of your own home very soon! According to Collider, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage will be streamable on Disney+ and Hulu after being released on Netflix for a limited time.