Despite a hefty drop, Venom continued to dominate the box office and just like that, Sony Pictures officially has a new franchise on their hands. Elsewhere First Man debuted and many industry insiders are calling it a slower than expected start.
Venom grossed an estimated $35.7 million this weekend, which is a drop of 55.5%. The film looked to be in a tight race for first place with A Star Is Born but Venom surged a bit higher on Saturday which allowed it to have more distance. Many people thought Venom would drop 60% or more but Venom, once again, defied the odds and stayed above that drop. The second-weekend decline is very similar to Logan which dropped 56.9% in its second weekend. Domestically, Venom has grossed $142.8 million and $235.3 million internationally, which puts it well over its budget and a winner, despite the critical beating it took before coming out.
Remaining in second is A Star Is Born with $28 million. That’s a solid drop of only 34.7% as word of mouth, especially among women and the older demographic is carry this film to stellar numbers. The film has grossed $94.1 million to date and honestly at least $150 million is in its sights when it’s all said a done. Not bad for a film that cost $36 million and we all know that not only great reviews ensures Oscar buzz. Solid box office doesn’t hurt either.
Landing in third is First Man with $16.5 million. A lot of publications are really giving the box office performance a beating calling it a “sluggish start” but I’m not too confident to call it a disappointment until at least next week. This is a film, much like A Star Is Born, that is geared towards older audiences and they don’t always rush out to see films. The film is another Oscar contender with solid reviews and that could allow it to have legs. The film received a “B+” CinemaScore which is good but some will say it’s not great for a film that’s shooting for the Oscars. The film carries a $59 million budget and, as I said, next week will tell the rest of the story as to if this is a true underperformer or not.
Within striking distance of First Man in fourth place is Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween with an estimated $16.2 million. This is a decent but not great start, considering it comes in lower than the original’s $23.6 million opening. The good news is that the film saw a significant boost in sales on Saturday over Friday which could be encouraging for its long-term prospects. The film received a “B” CinemaScore and is another new choice for kids at the movies and its Halloween themes may allow it to play well throughout October.
Rounding out the top five is Smallfoot which grossed an estimated $9.3 million. The film dropped 35.4% and has a domestic total of $57.6 million. The film is pretty much in line with where the studio wants it so that has to be considered a win.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
