Even though Venom: Let There Be Carnage had already been pushed back once more from September 15th to October 15th, rumors still abounded that Tom Hardy’s second outing as Eddie Brock would end up being hit with another setback in short order.
It turns out that the speculation was right on the money, but the news is much better than expected. Sony have just announced that Andy Serkis’ comic book sequel will now be arriving on October 1st, which is reportedly a reactionary move after the studio were inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earning $70 million this past weekend, and $90 million over the four-day Labor Day holiday.
Ruben Fleischer’s opening installment debuted on October 5th, bringing in $80 million in its first frame before going on to top $850 million globally, so Sony will be hoping that lightning strikes twice. While it would be unrealistic to expect Let There Be Carnage to come close to those numbers, it’s another sign that 2021 isn’t yet over for the theatrical industry.
The highest-grossing titles of the pandemic era have all been effects-driven blockbusters, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage certainly fits that mold. At least we can stop worrying about the movie taking Morbius‘ January 2022 slot and delaying the expansion of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe even further, and it’s now less than four weeks away.