Venom received some much needed good news after its dismal 29% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Sony Pictures Marvel effort grossed $10 million in Thursday night previews, a record for the month of October.
Venom started its play at 5 p.m. in 3,543 locations and, because it’s a fan favorite character from a comic book, is expected to be extremely frontloaded. Sony is still sticking behind its projection for a $55 million opening weekend while other industry insiders still think it can pull $60-65 million, despite the poor reviews. Casual moviegoers on social media seem to be enjoying the film more than critics and it’s really tapping into the African American and Hispanic audience, which is known to make certain films surge. It will be interesting to see how Venom holds up but with this Thursday preview number, it could break Gravity’s October opening record from 2013 of $53.7 million.
A Star Is Born was also potent on Thursday night with a gross of $3.2 million. The film has grossed $4.5 million since opening in special AMC previews on Tuesday. A Star Is Born is tracking for a $30 million opening but given that the film appeals to the older female demographic, I think Friday and the rest of the weekend will see a huge spike for the critically-acclaimed film as the target demo doesn’t always rush out for Thursday previews.
Check back tomorrow for the early Friday numbers
