“Venom: The Last Dance” is off to a roaring start at the global box office, raking in an impressive $175 million in its opening weekend. While the third installment in Sony’s Marvel spinoff series saw a muted $51 million debut domestically, the film more than made up for it with a mighty $124 million haul from international markets.
This robust international performance places “The Last Dance” as the third largest Hollywood opening of 2024 in those markets, trailing only Disney’s “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Leading the charge was a surprisingly strong $46 million opening in China over five days. This marked the biggest debut for a superhero movie in the country since 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and a major turnaround from the previous “Venom” sequel, “Let There Be Carnage,” which did not receive a release in China.
Other top international markets included Mexico ($7.3 million), South Korea ($5.8 million), the United Kingdom ($5.7 million), and India ($4.7 million).
Internationally, “Venom: The Last Dance,” starring Tom Hardy as the investigative journalist-turned-alien symbiote, is showing on 53,700 screens in 64 markets.
While the domestic performance may have been a bit sluggish, the international box office numbers are a welcome sight for Sony, which has invested $120 million into the production of “The Last Dance.” With theaters typically keeping around 50% of box office revenues, the third “Venom” installment will need to continue resonating with global audiences to justify its budget.
The first two “Venom” films demonstrated the franchise’s international drawing power, with the original 2018 movie earning $856 million worldwide and 2021’s “Let There Be Carnage” surpassing $500 million globally.
“The Last Dance” is aiming to follow in those footsteps, and the early international numbers suggest it’s well on its way. The film’s strong start in China, in particular, is a promising sign, as the world’s second-largest movie market has been somewhat unpredictable for Hollywood releases in recent years.
Elsewhere at the global box office, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” added $17.5 million from 79 markets, bringing its overseas total to $120.9 million and its worldwide gross to $232 million.
Paramount’s horror sequel “Smile 2” also had a solid showing, generating $12.6 million from 67 territories in its second weekend of release. The film has now earned $43 million internationally and $83.7 million globally against a $28 million budget.
As “Venom: The Last Dance” continues its worldwide rollout, all eyes will be on whether the franchise can maintain its international momentum and potentially overcome the muted start in North America. With the introduction of the villainous Knull, played via motion capture by Andy Serkis, and the tantalizing post-credit scenes hinting at future connections, there’s certainly potential for this to be more than just “Last Dance” for the symbiote-powered hero.
Stay tuned to discover if Eddie Brock and Venom’s story has reached its conclusion or if the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or possibly the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters) still has more chapters to write. One thing is certain: “Venom: The Last Dance” has already proven its global box office prowess, and there may be more dances to come.