While the Venom movies never really received much in the way of critical acclaim (they scored 31%, 58%, and 40%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes), they were successful at the box office.
The first instalment, released in 2018, remains the biggest hit with a massive $856.1 million worldwide. Had Venom: Let There Be Carnage not had to contend with COVID, and superhero—and Sony–fatigue wasn't such an issue for Venom: The Last Dance, perhaps those sequels would have ended their runs somewhere in the same ballpark.
Both ended up around the $500 million mark, so they weren't exactly flops and were still far greater successes than box office bombs like Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter.
Despite those movies featuring star-studded casts (the latter even tried to tap into Deadpool & Wolverine's success with an R-rating), they never came close to reaching the same heights as the Lethal Protector.
Talking to The Playlist, Venom director Ruben Fleischer was asked for his thoughts on why those spin-offs didn't resonate with audiences in quite the same way.
"I can’t really speak to too much because I haven’t seen all the other ones," Fleischer started. "But I think something that people love about 'Venom' is that he’s funny. You know what I mean? It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s kind of a ridiculous premise that you have an alien living inside you and sharing space with you."
"I kind of leaned into the—I don’t know if it’s really body horror—but 'All of Me' with Steve Martin was a big inspiration. 'An American Werewolf in London' was another one," the filmmaker continued. "Both are tonally on the more humorous side of things. I think 'Venom' is darker among the superhero franchises, just in terms of the way the character looks and his attitude."
"But he’s also really, really funny. So Tom Hardy was able to realize that wonderfully. And I think the charisma of Tom and of Venom himself is largely what has made it so popular among audiences," he added.
Pushed on whether he believes Sony's failed attempt to launch its own Marvel Universe might have been a problem, Fleischer mused, "I’m really proud of the way that the movie turned out, and the process was a collaboration, like all studio movies are. I think anyone who claims from any of the studios that they’re making $200 million movies and they’re singular voices is probably not totally accurate."
After Kraven the Hunter, Sony decided to put its live-action spin-off plans on hold to focus on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. However, a Spider-Noir series is coming to Prime Video next year, and it's already drawn the ire of fans for renaming that alternate universe Peter Parker, "Ben Reilly."
Why do you think Venom worked where Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter failed? Let us know in the comments section.