'Venom' China Box Office Will Make This Monster Hit Even Bigger
It's official: the world loves Venom. The superhero film is already a big hit, and this weekend, it's opening in China – and it's opening big. So big, in fact, that it's on track to earn as much, or even more, worldwide than all of Sony's other Spider-Man- related movies. People just can't get enough of Venom and his big, slimy tongue! If you're a fan of Venom, this is good news, because this means more movies like Venom are on the way. If you're not a fan of Venom, than this is bad news, because this means more movies like Venom are on the way.
I'm at a loss, folks. I never expected Venom to flop – the name recognition alone guaranteed it would turn a profit. But I never expected it to be this much of a hit. The Tom Hardy film about a giant slime monster and his human buddy has already made $600 million globally, and it's nowhere near done. Venom opens in China this weekend, and per Deadline, it's on its way to making another $100 million-plus there when all is said and done.
According to the report, if this happens, it would put Venom "in the Top 15 China openers ever, besting Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Ant-Man And The Wasp." Not only that, but the $100 million-plus would put the total around $700 million – and that's just this weekend. It's clearly going to keep making more, and if it does, it's going to make as much, or more than, Sony's Spider-Man movies. For comparison, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 took in $709 million worldwide, total. The Amazing Spider-Man webbed itself a $758 million worldwide total, the first Spider-Man hauled in $822 million, Spider-Man 2 tapped-out at $784 million, and Spider-Man 3, another movie that featured Venom, topped off at $891 million. It's reasonable to believe Venom might come close, or even surpass, these totals. And that's nuts.
So what does this mean? Box office success always ensures imitation, and global box office success is even better. Studios are going to pay close attention to this, and start green-lighting their own movies like Venom. There are two ways to react to this news. If you enjoyed Venom, you'll probably be thrilled. But if you thought Venom was a garbage fire, you're going to be disheartened. And if you're like me, and a little weary of constant superhero movies, you're going to be slightly disappointed, because this means there's no sign of the trend ever slowing down. On the plus-side, we don't have to put up with any "superhero fatigue" articles for a while.