Sony and Marvel’s superhero sequel VENOM: THE LAST DANCE held onto first place at the box office for the third weekend in a row with $16.2M in new ticket sales. Despite this accomplishment, the latest chapter in the VENOM series has lagged results from the first two, which speaks to the relatively low output from the industry overall over the last few weekends.
It’s not for a lack of new titles, with six new movies opening this weekend at over 1,000 locations. The new arrivals were THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (Lionsgate), HERETIC (A24), OVERLORD: THE SECOND KINGDOM (Sony), ELEVATION (Vertical Entertainment), WEEKEND IN TAIPEI (Ketchup Entertainment) and ANDREA BOCELLI 30: THE CELEBRATION (Fathom Events). The total box office for all movies came in at $72.0M, compared to last year on this same weekend which produced $87.5M, led by the $46.1M opening weekend of THE MARVELS.
In its first 17 days, VENOM: THE LAST DANCE has earned $114.8M domestic and $394.2M worldwide. Here are the details on the three VENOM movies to-date.
VENOM Series Box Office Results after 17 Days
- VENOM (10/5/18) – Domestic Opening $80.3M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $35.0M (-56%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $18.0M (-49%), Domestic 17-Day $171.1M, Domestic Total $213.5M, Worldwide Total $856.1M, Budget $100M, RT Critics/Audience 30%/80%
- VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (10/1/21) – Domestic Opening $90.0M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $31.8M (-65%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $16.5M (-48%), Domestic 17-Day $168.1M, Domestic Total $213.6M, Worldwide Total $506.8M, Budget $110M, RT Critics/Audience 57%/84%
- VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (10/25/24) – Domestic Opening $51.0M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $26.1M (-49%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $16.2M (-37%), Domestic 17-Day $114.8M, Budget $120M, RT Critics/Audience 36%/79%
Lucky for Sony, VENOM: THE LAST DANCE has done well in international markets, where it has earned 71% of its $394.2M worldwide box office.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGENT EVER from Lionsgate finished in second place with $11.1M in its debut. This Christmas comedy-drama is directed by Dallas Jenkins, best known as the creator of “The Chosen”, the faith-focused TV series about the life of Jesus. This new movie is based on Barbra Robinson’s 1972 bestselling book of the same name, first adapted as a made-for-TV movie in 1983 that played on ABC. That movie has developed into a Christmas classic and still plays on cable during the holiday season. The story has also been adapted as a stage production, popular in schools and community theatres. This recognition prompted Lionsgate to take on a new theatrical release.
The story centers on six children in the Herdman family, four boys named Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Ralph and two scene-stealing girls named Imogene and Gladys. The kids decide to crash a Christmas pageant rehearsal, causing chaos but also adding unexpected depth to the story. Underneath its light-hearted surface, the story explores deeper themes of acceptance, kindness and the true spirit of Christmas, showing how even those who are seen by most as bad apples can wind up bringing good into the world.
Rotten Tomatoes is showing very positive reviews, with critics giving it an 89% score and audiences raving with an almost perfect 98%. The movie has a nostalgic feel, with some comparing it to the 1983 classic A CHRISTMAS STORY in how it balances comic chaos with deeper meaning. After a challenging year, Lionsgate is to be commended for turning this small movie with a modest $10M budget into what is certain to be a profitable project. It has already grossed more than its entire production cost in its first three days and has a bright future, with space on screen for many weeks to come since there are still six weeks until Christmas and only a handful of new wide release movies opening in the weeks ahead. THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER will continue to play at most of its current 3,020 locations through the Thanksgiving period at a minimum.
A24’s HERETIC finished in third place this weekend with an opening box office of $11.0M. The film was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, best known for writing the screenplay of A QUIET PLACE (2018). Reprising their signature style of psychological horror, this movie follows two young missionaries who meet a sinister Englishman named Mr. Reed. As they try to convert him to their faith, their encounter turns into a deadly game of manipulation.
The Mr. Reed character and was inspired in part by the real-life cult leader Keith Raniere, who headed a self-help multi-level marketing company called Nxivm, which evolved into a sinister organization that trafficked human beings and committed sex offenses and widespread fraud. After 20 years at the head of the company, Raniere was arrested, tried and convicted of numerous crimes and is currently serving a 120-year prison sentence.
The movie explores the allure of such figures, and how they are able to manipulate others to their will. The main character Mr. Reed is played by Hugh Grant, who established his reputation as leading man in a series of famous romantic comedies from the 1990’s and 2000’s, including FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994), NOTTING HILL (1999), BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY (2001) and LOVE ACTUALLY (2003). Grant prepared for this role by researching cult leaders and serial killers to better understand their ability to motivate their followers. The insights he learned helped Grant bring depth to his portrayal of a villain who is both personable and unsettling.
Beck and Woods have created a dialogue-heavy horror film, even in the suspenseful final third of the movie. HERETIC is a thinking man’s horror film, shifting audiences to the edge of their seats with captivating interchanges between the characters and intricate pacing and atmosphere. The end result is a movie which the critics are applauding, giving it a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hugh Grant combines his legendary charm with the cold-hearted brutality that the character of Mr. Reed demands. The film also benefits from A24’s reputation for innovative horror films such as HEREDITARY and MIDSOMMAR. Here is a look at A24’s top five-grossing horror releases.
A24’S TOP-GROSSING HORROR FILMS
- TALK TO ME (7/26/2023) – Domestic Opening $10.4M, Domestic Total $48.3M, Worldwide Total $92.2M, Budget $4.5M, RT Critics/Audience 94%/82%
- HEREDITARY (6/8/2018) – Domestic Opening $13.6M, Domestic Total $44.1M, Worldwide Total $87.8M, Budget $10M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/71%
- MIDSOMMAR ( 7/3/2019) – Domestic Opening $6.6M, Domestic Total $27.4M, Worldwide Total $48.1M, Budget $9M, RT Critics/Audience 83%/63%
- THE WITCH ( 2/19/2016) – Domestic Opening $8.8M, Domestic Total $25.1M, Worldwide Total $40.4M, Budget $4M, RT Critics/Audience 91%/60%
- MAXXXINE (7/5/2024) – Domestic Opening $6.7M, Domestic Total $15.1M, Worldwide Total $22.5M, Budget $9M, RT Critics/Audience 72%/77%
- HERETIC (11/8/2024) – Domestic Opening $11.1M, Budget $15M, RT Critics/Audience 93%/78%
HERETIC has had one of the best openings of all A24’s horror titles and extended their run of well-reviewed movies, which is not the case for many horror films. The studio is also known for its highly profitable projects, due in large part to its tight control on budgets. HERETIC will be the leading scary movie over Thanksgiving period, enhancing its financial success.
DreamWorks’ THE WILD ROBOT finished in fourth place with an additional $6.7M, a decline of only 11% from last weekend. After 45 days, this original animated feature has earned $130.9M domestic and $284.6M worldwide, with final totals likely to wind up around $140M domestic and $310M worldwide. After only $78M was spent to make the movie, Universal has a chance of reaching a 4X multiple of its production budget from the worldwide box office, which should justify follow-on projects featuring the same characters.
SMILE 2 was able to sneak into fifth place with $5.0M this weekend, a decline of 26%. After 24 days in release, it has earned $60.5M domestic and $122.5M worldwide. While it will not catch SMILE’s $105.9M domestic and $217.4M worldwide, the sequel will still be profitable as we can now project final numbers of $70M domestic and $140M worldwide. Based on its $28M production budget, that would make its total gross a 5X multiple of its production budget.
Where Are We as of 11/7/2024
After 44 weeks, the 2024 year-to-date box office has climbed to 87% of 2023 totals and 73% of 2019 totals at this same point in the year. 2024 VS. 2023 2024 VS. 2019.