One week afterVenom: The Last Dancehit theaters, the Sony Marvel movie’s box office has officially surpassed that of two notable box office bombs. AlthoughVenomandVenom: Let There Be Carnageeach had successful runs at the box office,Venom 3has struggled a bit, earning only $51 million domestically in its opening weekend.Reviews forVenom: The Last Dancehave been largely negative, but that was the case with the previousVenommovies; audience reception to Tom Hardy’s Marvel films has always been much more positive.
Still, it appears thatVenom: The Last Dancemay become the lowest grossing movie of the trilogy. WhenVenomreleased in 2018, it earned $856 million at the box office, whileVenom: Let There Be Carnage, which opened in the post-pandemic theatrical landscape of 2021, earned $506 million. For now, it seems unlikely that theVenom: The Last Dancebox officewill meet or surpass either previousVenomfilm, but it’s already passed two other Marvel box office bombs from the last few years.
According toBox Office Mojo,Venom: The Last Dance’sbox office currently sits at $184 million worldwide, which is more than the entire box office grosses of bothMorbiusandMadame Web. Released in 2022,Morbiusearned a meager $167 million. Meanwhile,Madame Webhit theaters earlier this year and made even less at the worldwide box office, with a final tally of $100 million.
What Venom: The Last Dance’s Box Office Update Means
It’s Not The Biggest Bomb Of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Venom has always been thebiggest moneymaker of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and it’s clear that remains true, even ifVenom: The Last Danceisn’t reaching the heights of its predecessors. It’s unclear why exactlyVenom 3isn’t earning as much at the box office, whether it’s due to a lack of crossover with the MCU’s Spider-Man or because the new villain Knull isn’t a well-known enough name to draw audiences. Or, it might be a result of diminishing interest in Sony’s Marvel franchise.
2018
$213,515,506
$642,569,645
$856,085,161
2021
$213,550,366
$293,263,498
$506,813,864
2022
$73,865,530
$93,595,431
$167,460,961
2024
$43,817,106
$56,681,658
$100,498,764
$61,145,071*
$123,392,271*
$184,537,342*
MorbiusandMadame Webweren’t just box office bombs, they were critical duds among reviewers and audiences alike. Whereas theVenommovies have found a passionate audience who enjoy Hardy’s Marvel films, the last two releases of the larger franchise have been superhero slogs. This may have impactedVenom: The Last Dancenegatively, with casual moviegoers so turned off byMorbiusandMadame Webthat they weren’t willing to give the finalVenommovie a chance.
Our Take On Venom: The Last Dance’s Box Office Update
There May Be More At Play Impacting Tom Hardy’s Final Venom Movie
I’m not going to say it’s superhero movie fatigue, butVenomandVenom: The Last Danceeach released in very different theatrical landscapes when it comes to superhero movies.Venomdebuted in the heyday of 2018, in between billion-dollar grossersAvengers: Infinity WarandAquaman. WhereasVenom: The Last Dancehas hit theaters after a pretty terrible 2023 - for both Marvel and DC - and following two movies in its own franchise that failed to connect with audiences.
Venom: The Last Dancehas not yet earned enough to pass the MCU’s lowest grossing movie, 2023’sThe Marvels, which earned $206 million worldwide in its theatrical run.
Even ifVenom: The Last Danceis the best of theVenommovies, which I believe it is, it doesn’t have the same multiverse event-level draw likeDeadpool & WolverineandSpider-Man: No Way Home. Considering those two MCU movies are the only superhero films to gross over $1 billion sinceAvengers: Endgamereleased in 2019, it does seem like audiences want emotional stories with multiverse crossovers. Unfortunately, thoughVenom: The Last Dancehas the former, it doesn’t have the latter.
Venom: The Last Dance
Cast
Venom: The Last Dance is a film directed by an undisclosed director, featuring the character Venom in a thrilling narrative. The movie explores the alien symbiote’s latest challenges and transformations as it navigates through a world full of danger and new adversaries.
