VENOM Devours Monstrous $111 Million Opening In China; Second Biggest Launch For A Superhero Movie Ever
So, as it turns out, Spider-Man and his associated characters may be considerably more popular than any other superheroes ever as Venom has just roared its way to a monstrous opening weekend in China!
After dominating most of the October box office, Venom's reign seems to be far from over as it's gotten off to an exceptional start in China, where it's raked in a jaw-dropping $111 million in its opening frame. The debut is the second-largest ever for a superhero movie, behind only Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War ($191M), and the fifth-best launch for an imported (non-Chinese) film ever.
Combined with its $4.85 million haul this past weekend domestically, the Tom Hardy-starrer has now earned over $673.5 million worldwide ($206.2M domestic; $467.3M foreign), which is incredibly impressive considering the film's modest $100 million production budget. It has now topped the final totals of Warner Bros.' Justice League ($657.9M), Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp ($622.5M), and 20th Century Fox's critically-acclaimed Logan ($619M).
While the Ruben Fleischer-directed feature failed to resonate with critics in the U.S., it was received quite warmly by audiences and according to Deadline, the Chinese audience is responding to the film similarly - possibly even better - with the film earning a strong 9.4 rating on Maoyan, China's largest online movie ticket service.
On its current trajectory, Venom is on pace to easily top $800 million worldwide and has a legitimate shot at a final finish above $850 million if it doesn't fall off a cliff in China next weekend, which seems increasingly unlikely based on its opening numbers and audience reception. This means the film will likely top a number of major superhero blockbusters, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714.3M), Suicide Squad ($746.8M), X-Men: Days of Future Past ($747.9M), Deadpool ($783.1M), and Wonder Woman ($821.8M) in the coming weeks.
Venom may actually finish its run as the third-biggest Spider-Man movie ever (not adjusted for inflation), behind only Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 ($890.9M) and Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming ($880.2M), as it's on track to best both Spider-Man ($821.7M) and Spider-Man 2 ($783.8M) as well as both The Amazing Spider-Man ($757.9M) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($709M).
The resounding success of Venom should give Sony all the motivation they need to carry on with their Spidey-less Spider-Man universe and should also give them some additional bargaining power when they inevitably sit down again with Marvel Studios to hammer out another shared profit Spidey deal following the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home next summer.
As for the rest of the domestic box office, check out the Top 10 below:
One of Marvel's most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Venom features:
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom
Michelle Williams as Anne Weying
Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake/Riot
Scott Haze as Roland Treece
Reid Scott as Dr. Dan Lewis
Jenny Slate as Dr. Dora Skirth
Melora Walters as Maria
Chris O'Hara as John Jameson
Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady
Venom unleashes in theaters October 5