Venom: Let There Be Carnage Breaks Pandemic Box Office Record

Jamie Lovett

10/03/2021 02:42 pm EDT

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is breaking pandemic-era box office records. The Venom sequel will open with $90 million over its first three days, beating the highest previous projections for the movie and setting a new pandemic-era opening weekend record. That total includes $37.3 million from its opening day alone, the second-highest of the pandemic. Venom: Let There Be Carnage now has the second-highest October opening of all time, during the pandemic or otherwise, behind only Joker's $96.2 million in October 2019 and well ahead of the first Venom movie, which opened with $80.2 million in October 2018.

"We are also pleased that patience and theatrical exclusivity have been rewarded with record results," Sony chairman Tom Rothman said in a statement. "With apologies to Mr. Twain: The death of movies has been greatly exaggerated."

Critics have given Venom: Let There Be Carnage a mixed reception. It's currently ranked rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, though it has a more favorable audience score. That latter may have to do with the mid-credits scene generating lots of chatter online among Marvel fans.

ComicBook.com's Jamie Jirak gave Venom: Let There Be Carnage a 3-out-of-5 score in her review. She writes, "There's no denying Hardy's magnetism when it comes to playing these roles, and one can only hope there will be more chances for him to act the part in a script worthy of his talent."

In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, after finding a host body in investigative reporter Eddie Brock, the alien symbiote must face a new enemy, Carnage, the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady. Andy Serkis directs the film. Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock/Venom. The film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, and Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady/Carnage.

What do you think of Venom: Let There Be Carnage breaking records? Let us know in the comments. Keep reading to see this week's complete list of top 10 movies at the box office.

1. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

(Photo: Sony Pictures)

Opening Weekend
Total: $90.1 Million

Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is directed by Andy Serkis and written by Kelly Marcel from on a story she c0-wrote with Tom Hardy. The film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson.

2. The Addams Family 2

(Photo: United Artists Releasing)

Opening Weekend
Total: $18 million

Hoping to get closer as a family, Gomez, Morticia and the rest of the Addams clan embark on an adventurous road trip in a hideous and humongous camper.

The Addams Family 2 is directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, co-directed by Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic, and written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Susanna Fogel from a story by Hernandez and Samit. The film is based on Charles Addams' original character. The film's voice cast includes Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Javon Walton, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Knight, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Bill Hader.

4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

(Photo: Marvel Studios)

Week Five
Weekend: $6 million
Total: $206.1 million

Martial-arts master Shang-Chi confronts the past he thought he left behind when he's drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he co-wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, based on a story by Cretton and Callaham. The film stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung.

3. The Many Saints of Newark

(Photo: Warner Bros.)

Opening Weekend
Total: $5 million

Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark, N.J., history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters start to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, whose influence over his nephew will help shape the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss, Tony Soprano.

The Many Saints of Newark is directed by Alan Taylor from a screenplay by David Chase and Lawrence Konner and is a prequel to the HBO television series The Sopranos. The film stars Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga.

5. Dear Evan Hansen

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Week Two
Weekend: $2.45 million
Total: $11.8 million

Evan Hansen is an anxious, isolated high-school student who's aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social media age. He soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery when a letter he wrote for a writing exercise falls into the hands of a grieving couple whose son took his own life.

Dear Evan Hansen is directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Steven Levenson, based on the 2015 stage musical Levenson created with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The film stars Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Danny Pino, and Colton Ryan.

6. Free Guy

Week Eight
Weekend: $2.27 million
Total: $117.6 million

When a bank teller discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game, he decides to become the hero of his own story -- one that he can rewrite himself. In a world where there's no limits, he's determined to save the day his way before it's too late, and maybe find a little romance with the coder who conceived him.

Free Guy is direct by Shawn Levy and written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Joe Keery.

7. Candyman

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Week Six
Weekend: $1.23 million
Total: $58.9 million

In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini. A chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to use these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.

Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta from a screenplay she co-wrote with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo. Vanessa Williams, Tony Todd, and Virginia Madsen.

8. Jungle Cruise

(Photo: Disney)

Week 10
Weekend: $680,000
Total: $116 million

Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his ramshackle boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal -- a discovery that will change the future of medicine.

Jungle Cruise, based on the Disney Parks attraction, is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Michael Green's screenplay. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti.

9. Chal Mera Putt 3

(Photo: Rhythm Boyz Entertainment)

Opening Weekend
Total: $644,000

The struggles of Punjabi people who want to settle in foreign countries.

Chal Mera Putt 3 is directed by Janjot Singh. The film stars Amrinder Gill and Simi Chahal.

10. The Jesus Music

(Photo: Lionsgate)

Opening Weekend
Total: $560,200

With stirring songs of faith, love and hope, Jesus music rises from America's 1960s counterculture movement to become a worldwide phenomenon.

The Jesus Music is a documentary. It is directed by Jon Erwin and Andrew Erwin

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