In “Venom: The Last Dance,” the titular monster is forced to separate from Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy, to maintain peace among humanity. Directed by Kelly Marcel, this third installment continues the story from Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and takes audiences back on the unusual journey of journalist Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote Venom.

Venom Struggles in the North American Market

The film’s opening weekend in the U.S. fell short of both the first (Venom – $80.2 million) and second installments (Venom: Let There Be Carnage – $96 million), mainly due to fierce competition from the classic baseball film series, the World Series.

After three days in theaters, Venom: The Last Dance only grossed $51 million, significantly lower than the predicted $65 million and far behind its predecessors. For context, the original Venom (2018) debuted with $80 million, while Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) set a pandemic-era box office record with $90 million.

Moreover, Venom: The Last Dance still follows the tired tropes of superhero films, featuring poor CGI, unclear character motivations, and sacrificing the plot for action scenes.

Critics gave the film a disappointing 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience scores landed at a B-, the lowest in the series.

Venom: The Last Dance Breaks Records at the International Box Office

In contrast, Venom: The Last Dance has created a sensation in international markets, particularly in China. The film earned $124 million from 64 international markets, with China contributing $46 million after just five days of release. This marked the highest opening weekend for a superhero film in China since Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and the most impressive debut of a Hollywood film in the country this year.

Other significant markets for Venom: The Last Dance include Mexico ($7.3 million), South Korea ($5.8 million), the UK ($5.7 million), India ($4.7 million), Germany ($4.1 million), Italy ($3.4 million), Australia ($3.2 million), Spain ($2.7 million), and Indonesia ($2.7 million). In Vietnam, Venom: The Last Dance also recorded impressive earnings, achieving 27 billion VND after its first weekend, demonstrating strong appeal to Vietnamese audiences. Total earnings to date, including early screenings, amount to 38 billion VND.

Venom: The Last Dance also enjoyed significant success at global IMAX theaters, grossing $16 million, making it the third-highest IMAX opening film in October. Of that, international markets accounted for $11.2 million, the highest-ever for a Sony film released in October. Notably, in China, IMAX revenue made up 14% of the film’s total earnings of $46 million.