For a film that was more or less trashed by critics before its release, Venom‘s doing unbelievably well when it comes to box office gross.
The first outing for Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters (yes, that’s really what this burgeoning cinematic universe is called) beat out critical darling A Star Is Born with a record-breaking opening last month and has continued to perform strongly ever since. After a stellar debut in China a few weeks back, it’s now pushed its total global haul to a whopping $822.5 million. That breaks down to $211.7 million on home turf and $610.8 million internationally.
That’s far better than anyone could’ve hoped for and means that Venom is well above many of its peers in the genre, like Logan ($619 million), Ant-Man and the Wasp ($622 million) and even Justice League ($657.9 million). But Sony’s spinoff just sped past another heavy hitter as well, as Venom has now grossed more than Wonder Woman, which sits at $821.8 million worldwide.
At this stage, it’s highly unlikely that the pic will cross $1 billion, but the numbers it’s already pulled in are wildly impressive for a movie that critics initially wrote off as a complete bust. In fact, one reviewer memorably described it as on a par with 2004’s Catwoman. Fans have felt quite differently about it, though, citing Hardy’s performance, the humor and the weird odd couple vibe that Eddie and his parasitic other half had as highlights of what was overall, a fairly enjoyable movie.
Unfortunately, however, those disappointed by Venom’s PG-13 rating may not be happy with the sequel, with producer Avi Arad pleading his case last month that graphic violence won’t be necessary for doing the villainous Cletus Kasady justice. With that in mind, some of you may already be dreading the follow-up’s arrival, but make no mistake about it, there are more than enough viewers who’d be open to a second outing from Hardy’s antihero, and it seems they’ll be getting exactly that.