Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance has launched with an impressive global opening of $175 million. While this figure is slightly below earlier expectations, it significantly surpasses pre-weekend projections. The film generated $51 million domestically, but it outperformed internationally, raking in $124 million from 64 markets, largely thanks to a robust debut in China. With this latest installment, the Venom franchise has now crossed the $1.5 billion mark globally.
This international opening ranks as the third-largest of the year for a Hollywood film in similar markets, trailing only Inside Out 2 and the Deadpool & Wolverine crossover. China, a critical market for the franchise, led the charge with an astonishing $46 million over five days. This is particularly notable as the first film in the series was a massive hit there, while the second, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, was not released in the market. The opening for The Last Dance marks the largest superhero film debut in China since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and stands as the biggest Hollywood opening of the year.
Following China, the top-performing markets include Mexico, which brought in $7.3 million, South Korea with $5.8 million, the UK at $5.7 million, India with $4.7 million, Germany at $4.1 million, Italy with $3.4 million, Australia at $3.2 million, and both Spain and Indonesia at $2.7 million each. Notably, France and Japan are scheduled to join the rollout next week.
In terms of IMAX performances, The Last Dance has pulled in $16 million globally, making it the third-best October release ever for the format. The film grossed $11.2 million from IMAX overseas, which is the highest-ever October opening for Sony in this format, coming in behind only the two most recent Spider-Man films. Of the total, China accounted for $6 million, with IMAX contributing 14% of its five-day gross.
The strong showing in China was somewhat unexpected, given the fluctuating performance of local titles in recent months. The market has been somewhat unpredictable and overall down on both local and Hollywood films, though some standout performances have occurred, such as Alien: Romulus and Godzilla x Kong. Venom likely benefitted from the anticipation built around the first film’s success, especially considering that the sequel did not make it to Chinese theaters during a still-recovering pandemic market.
Southeast Asia also performed well, rebounding from previous struggles seen during the release of Carnage. Countries like Scandinavia and Germany also contributed to this success, while India saw a promising start, although it faces competition from upcoming Diwali releases.
The international box office landscape will remain dynamic as various holidays approach in different regions, potentially impacting future earnings. Interestingly, Venom 3 experienced significant boosts in attendance throughout the weekend in several markets.
Turning to other films at the box office, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot expanded into three new markets, bringing its total to 79. The film earned an additional $17.6 million this weekend, which represents a 27% decline from previous earnings, lifting its overseas total to $121 million and a global tally of $232.3 million.
The Wild Robot is now the top non-sequel animated feature of the year and the third non-sequel of 2024 to surpass $100 million internationally. Its cumulative total overseas is significantly higher than The Bad Guys and Migration and aligns with Trolls‘ performance in the same markets at a similar point in their release cycles.
The film has particularly benefited from staggered school holidays in the UK, which has bolstered midweek performances. France also saw a boost in ticket sales due to school holidays as it entered its third weekend, with midweek sales more than tripling compared to the previous week. Mexico saw a modest 18% drop in its fifth weekend, securing the film’s position at No. 2 in the market, while Spain’s performance also remained strong with only a 23% decrease.
To date, the leading markets for The Wild Robot include Mexico with $16 million, followed by Australia at $10.3 million, the UK at $8.4 million, France at $8.2 million, and China at $7.2 million.
Meanwhile, Paramount’s Smile 2, which topped the box office last week, earned another $12.6 million from 67 overseas markets, resulting in an offshore total of $43 million and a global tally of $83.7 million. France showed resilience, dropping only 29% despite strong local competition, while the UK continues to lead with $5.2 million, followed closely by France at $4.5 million, Germany at $3.6 million, and Italy and Australia, each contributing $2.4 million.
Overall, the box office remains vibrant, with Venom: The Last Dance taking center stage this weekend as it looks to maintain its momentum amidst a competitive landscape filled with diverse offerings. The anticipated releases in France and Japan will further shape the international box office dynamics in the weeks to come.
