Venom: The Last Dance Struggles at Box Office on Opening Day

Venom: The Last Dance hit theaters with high expectations as the final installment in the trilogy, but the early box office numbers suggest it might not live up to the financial success of its predecessors.

According to Variety, the film pulled in $22 million from 4,131 theaters across the U.S. on Friday, including previews—a significant drop from the opening day performances of the first two films in the series.

This puts The Last Dance on shaky ground for its opening weekend. Initial projections predicted the film would rake in $65 million, but if the downward trend continues, it could fall short. For comparison, the first Venom movie opened with $32 million on its first day in 2018, while 2021’s Let There Be Carnage brought in $37 million, the trilogy’s best debut so far.

The original Venom had a stellar launch, generating over $80 million in its first weekend and going on to earn a massive $856 million worldwide. While Let There Be Carnage beat the first film’s opening weekend with $90 million, its global total of $506 million fell short of the original’s performance

As it stands, Venom: The Last Dance will need a strong international showing and steady week-to-week interest to avoid falling behind both of the previous films. However, with several new releases hitting theaters soon, competition could hurt its legs at the box office.

Despite the mixed outlook, not everything is bleak for The Last Dance. It’s currently the biggest domestic opening since Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and with a more modest budget of $120 million, the stakes are slightly lower than a typical blockbuster. The film also earned a B- CinemaScore, which, while not as strong as the B+ scores of the first two Venom films, suggests audiences are still somewhat engaged

Joining The Last Dance in the top three is Smile 2, which takes second place with an estimated $10.3 million in its second week—a 55% drop from its opening. If projections hold, Smile 2 will cross the $40 million mark by the end of the weekend

In third place is Conclave, which debuted with $2.5 million from 1,753 theaters on Friday, carrying a B+ CinemaScore. Meanwhile, Terrifier 3 continues to surprise, pulling in $4.5 million in its third weekend, bringing its total to an impressive $44 million, tripling the combined earnings of the first two Terrifier films.

Where do you think Venom: The Last Dance will land by the end of its opening weekend? Will it gain momentum internationally, or is it destined to fall short of expectations? Share your thoughts in the comments!