Though its recent sequel, Let There Be Carnage, did fare slightly better with critics, the first Venom movie was not well received at all (it sits at just 30% on Rotten Tomatoes). Both performed very well at the box office, however, and have significantly higher audience scores.
Studios don't tend to pay too much attention to reviews as long as the movie is a hit, but directors are a slightly different story. Despite what many may say, no filmmaker wants to see their work disparaged, and Ruben Fleischer has now admitted that he was surprised and disappointed by Venom's critical reception.
"The critical reaction, I'm not going to lie, is a bummer just because you work so hard on something," he told ComicBook.com. "And I know, having watched it with audiences, how much they enjoyed it. So, it was a little surprising to me how negative they were. And I do think it's unwarranted because the audiences, as you said, really loved the film. Otherwise, I don't think it would've been quite the success it was. So, it was disheartening, for sure, that it has this kind of association."
Venom took in close to 900 million when it was released back in 2018, so it was clearly embraced by movie-goers. BO success is never an indication of quality, of course, but it's difficult to argue with Fleischer's rationale.
What do you guys think? Was Venom unjustly lambasted by critics? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.