Venom: The Last Dance” topped the box office but fell well below expectations, grossing a modest $51 million in North America from 4,125 theaters. Despite projections of a $65 million debut, Sony’s latest Marvel installment opened significantly lower than its predecessors, with 2018’s “Venom” and 2021’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” earning $80 million and $90 million, respectively. Sony speculates that the Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series game impacted attendance, though New York City and Los Angeles, major markets, still led ticket sales.

Internationally, “Venom 3” fared better, bringing in $124 million for a global total of $175 million. The film, which cost $120 million to produce (excluding marketing), needs sustained attendance to justify its budget since theaters keep about half of box office earnings. The franchise, already panned by critics, received a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” CinemaScore—its lowest grade so far.

This muted performance caps a slow October box office, which currently trails last year’s returns by over 11%. Industry experts, like analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, suggest a lack of momentum as no major releases are expected until late November when “Gladiator 2” and “Wicked” arrive.

Joker: Folie à Deux is now considered as a ‘box-office bomb’.

Elsewhere, Joker: Folie à Deux continued to underperform, with only $600,000 in its fourth weekend, and Sony’s new thriller Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, opened above expectations with $6.5 million.