For some inexplicable reason, the first two ‘Venom’ movies, distributed by Sony, were very popular with audiences. Despite middling reviews, the first one grossed $850M worldwide, while the second earned around $560M. This third chapter, titled “Venom: The Last Dance,” yet again has Tom Hardy’s Eddie/Venom on the run. It’s set to hit theaters on Friday.
Word is that “Venom: The Last Dance,” which has a $120M budget, is doing horribly in pre-sales, and that it might have a $55M-$60M opening weekend. This would easily make it the worst opening of the franchise. The only good news right now for Sony is that these numbers are much better than “Joker: Folie a Deux”. LOL.
No, seriously, Sony is no doubt wondering what’s happening here. Earlier in the year, some had speculated that “Venom: The Last Dance” could open as high as $140M. That is definitely not happening. The guru expert over at Box Office Theory is even predicting a sub $50M opening weekend. Grim stuff.
Have movie audiences soured on Venom? This could also be yet another sign of “superhero fatigue”, which, as I’ve repeatedly stated, is real. Sure, you have the big names still bringing in the money (Batman, Superman, Avengers, Deadpool), but any other superhero now stands the chance of being completely brushed off by audiences.
It’s not just ‘fatigue’ that’s to blame for the poor numbers that might lay ahead for ‘Venom 3.’ Sony is coming off the stench of “Morbius” and “Madame Web,” and they’ve had the trailer for their upcoming “Kraven the Hunter” relentlessly mocked online. The Sony superhero brand is currently toxic, and maybe Venom is being connected to all of that baggage.
The “superhero movie” peaked with 2008’s “The Dark Knight.” There was also a nice stretch of films in the 2010s — I’m thinking “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Avengers: Endgame”, but ever since 'Endgame', it has indeed been a struggle for Marvel, DC and Sony to make a good movie. I don’t think I’ve liked a single one of them.
It’s no stretch to believe that, just by looking at recent box-office numbers, the movie zeitgeist has changed. Superhero movies have become less of a dominant force. The DCEU completely crumbled. Critics have been souring on them as well. The glowing reviews have turned into pans.
What’s changed is that people appear to have suddenly noticed that these movies are not that good. They regret surrendering many hours of the only life they’ll ever live to “The Marvels,” “The Eternals,” “Black Adam,” “The New Mutants,” “Blue Beetle,” “The Flash,” “Morbius,” “Madame Web,” “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantamania” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”
It all makes you wonder if James Gunn’s DCU will be a success and if the hundreds of millions that Disney/Marvel have spent on upcoming projects such as “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” and “Fantastic Four” will end up epically backfiring on them.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.