Sony Pictures can’t seem to make up its mind on when to release its Venom sequel due to coronavirus and its effect on theater attendances, but the studio may have finally settled on a date thanks to the surprising performance of Marvel Studios’ latest release, Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings.
Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has managed to make over $90 million since its release on September 3, setting a new Labor Day weekend box office record that blew away initial industry estimates. Due to that impressive result, Sony Pictures is convinced that there’s no need to delay its own superhero movie any further. In fact, the studio is so optimistic that it will be releasing Venom: Let There Be Carnage ahead of schedule.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now slated for release on October 1, two weeks ahead of its previously intended premiere date of October 15. Many insiders believed that Sony was close to delaying its Venom sequel all the way to 2022, but it appears that’s no longer the case.
According to Deadline’s sources, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is tracking extremely well among males, so the film seems primed to drive comic book fans and other moviegoers back into theaters just like Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi. The first Venom film in 2018 set an opening domestic record for the month with $80.2 million.
Had Venom 2 remained on Oct. 15, it would have been in a fierce franchise fight with Universal/Blumhouse/Miramax’s Halloween Kills. That movie’s first pic back in 2018 posted the second best domestic debut in October at the time after Venom with $76.2M; Halloween now ranking third overall among domestic openings at the October B.O.
Source: Deadline