Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter “Venom: The Last Dance” is No. 1 at the box office, but the comic book film fell significantly short of expectations.
The third and final entry in Sony’s Marvel antihero series, led by Tom Hardy, opened to a muted $51 million from 4,125 North American theaters.
Rival studios estimate the final weekend number will be under $50 million. Those ticket sales are far behind projections of $65 million and much lower than the prior two installments of 2018’s “Venom,” which opened to $80 million, and 2021’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” which opened to a then-pandemic record $90 million.
Despite the soft start in North America, the “Spider-Man” spinoff is getting a boost from international audiences. “Venom 3” has feasted on $124 million overseas for a global start of $175 million. “The Last Dance” cost $120 million to produce, not including worldwide marketing efforts.
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