Venom: The Last Dance

Venom: The Last Dance started showing in international theaters today, and it's off to a strong start. In China, the movie made $9.3 million on its first day. This is the best opening day for a superhero movie in China since Spider-Man: Far From Home. It looks like Venom: The Last Dance could make around $30 million in China in its first five days.

The third and final Venom movie starring Tom Hardy brings back the British actor as Eddie Brock, who shares his body with the alien symbiote Venom. The story picks up from where Venom: Let There Be Carnage left off, with Eddie and Venom on the run from both the police on Earth and creatures from Venom’s home planet.

The movie also stars Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham, who plays Patrick Mulligan, a character connected to the symbiote Toxin.

The director, Kelly Marcel, also wrote the script, and the story was developed by her and Tom Hardy. Hardy, along with several others, serves as a producer on the film.

Compared to other recent Hollywood movies, this is a great start. These days, making more than $20 million in China is a big deal for studios. Early audience ratings from a popular Chinese platform called Maoyan are at 9/10, which is a good sign, but we’re still waiting on reviews from critics. How the movie does over the next few days will likely depend on those ratings.

Venom: The Last Dance faces some challenges if it wants to end the Marvel franchise on a high note, especially after getting a low score on Rotten Tomatoes. Like the first two Venom movies starring Tom Hardy, the third film received a 40% score from critics when it debuted on the site.

Although this score is based on a small number of reviews so far, it’s pretty similar to what the previous Venom movies got. The first movie in 2018 had only a 30% score, while the second one did a bit better at 57%. So, The Last Dance lands somewhere in between the two, which might actually be a good sign for this final movie in the series.

Even though critics didn’t love the first two Venom movies, audiences gave them over 80% ratings, and they did really well at the box office, especially compared to other movies in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. However, it looks like Venom: The Last Dance might not do as well as the last movie. It's expected to have the lowest opening weekend in the franchise, making around $65 million in the U.S.

Comic book movies have changed a lot in the past 50 years, from showing us a flying man to now, where we see things like a horse turning into Venom. If you were excited about the weird things shown in the trailer for Venom: The Last Dance, like that horse-Venom creature, you’ll probably enjoy Tom Hardy’s third movie as Venom. This time, the movie is like a road trip where Hardy plays both Eddie Brock and Venom, with their strange, funny relationship being the main focus.

The movie sticks to the weird style of the Venom series, but the problem is that the story is too predictable, which makes the movie less fun than it could have been. The best part is still Hardy playing both Eddie and Venom, with their funny arguments and chemistry. This fits well with the movie’s theme of "symbiosis," where they have to work together but also fight against each other. Eddie is still struggling to fully accept being one with Venom, and that inner conflict gives the movie its main source of drama.

What Critics Are Saying About Venom: The Last Dance

Critics have mixed feelings about Venom: The Last Dance. Some say it has a fun, weird vibe with Tom Hardy doing a great job playing both Eddie Brock and Venom. However, others think the movie has a predictable story that makes it less enjoyable. While Hardy’s performance and the strange chemistry between Eddie and Venom are highlights, the movie hasn’t impressed everyone. Like the other Venom films, this one seems to be more popular with fans than with critics.

The first reviews for Venom: The Last Dance are a mixed bag, much like the other Venom movies. Most agree that the movie is made for the fans, but it hasn’t tried to bring in new viewers. Many negative reviews call the movie "a mess." For example, Olly Richards from Empire Magazine said the movie "can’t find its rhythm," while The Guardian's Benjamin Lee said it’s "quick, brash, and awkwardly overstuffed." Andrew J. Salazar of Discussing Film felt that too much of Tom Hardy’s comedic side is hidden by Sony’s attempts to set up future franchise plans.

On the positive side, some reviewers found good things about Hardy’s last outing as Venom. Molly Freeman from Screen Rant said it’s a "perfect sendoff" for Eddie Brock and Venom, wrapping up their stories with care. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman summed it up by saying the Venom movies are just for fun and made for fans, where "the more snark and CGI, the better."