Sony bosses call on the power of anime to promote Venom in Japan

Venom: The Last Dance is finally here, and while domestically it might not be living up to the hype, internationally fans can’t get enough of it. The threequel is performing exceptionally well abroad, and anime may have played a small role in at least one country.

There’s been no shortage of marketing for Venom 3, with every demographic being targeted in collaborations which have included that viral Hot Ones interview with the Symbiote, ad placement and air time during major UFC events, and plenty more. One of the most unexpected advertising collaborations comes from Japan where the new Venom movie has entered the world of Brave Bang Bravern.

The new CygamesPictures mecha series has become the latest vehicle for Sony to promote the latest Venom movie, with a pair of social media posts on both the show and the movie’s official accounts.

In the first post to the Brave Bang Bravern social media page, the show’s main characters can be seen at the theater watching Venom: The Last Dance, and let us just say they have a lot more shock on their faces than anyone I saw in my screening of the movie. Another thing to notice, the group have purchased all of the exclusive Venom popcorn and drink options, as well as shirts promoting the movie, so its safe to say they must be big fans.

Following up on this screening, the official Venom Japan account shared a video of Isami being interrogated about the movie in a three-and-a-half-minute promo that can also be found on the anime’s YouTube channel. Sadly there are no English subtitles, so unless you speak Japanese, you’re going to have a tough time following this one.

Brave Bang Bravern isn’t the only anime that is being utilized to promote Venom; GeGeGe no Kitaro is also getting into the Marvel spirit, as pointed out by Comicbook.com. Having the chance to collaborate with Marvel is something that Toko Yatabe, the designer behind the show, was happy to accept.

All of these unique collaborations are coming together to push Venom to international success. Despite having a lackluster domestic opening, the movie did exceptionally well overseas, opening in several markets including Japan. If fans in the U.S. aren’t going to switch up and see the movie, it’s going to be integral that Sony continue to promote the film internationally for it to become a success.

Now that the movie has been out several days, fans have had their chance to see what all of the discourse is about. Despite the critics slamming the film, according to its Rotten Tomatoes score there’s a lot of fans who have loved it, so if you’ve been on the fence, it might be worth taking the leap and checking it out yourself.

Venom: The Last Dance is available to see in all of your usual cinemas across the globe right now. Similarly, if you want to check out Brave Bang Bravern the show’s first season is available to stream on Crunchyroll.