‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again

NEW YORK (AP):

Venom: The Last Dance has been no blockbuster in North American theatres. But in a lethargic fall movie-going season, even a so-so performing superhero sequel can rule the box office for three straight weeks.

For the third weekend in a row, Venom: The Last Dance was the No. 1 movie at the box office, collecting $16.2 million in ticket sales in US and Canadian theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday. It fended off a pair of new challengers in the Hugh Grant horror thriller, Heretic, and the feel-good holiday movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

With the election on Tuesday, the major studios opted not to put any new releases into theatres. That allowed Sony Pictures’ Venom: The Last Dance the third entry in the Tom Hardy-led franchise, to hold its position.

While The Last Dance hasn’t been a huge hit domestically – opening below expectations in late October – it has thrived overseas, grossing almost triple what it has in North America. The Venom sequel has grossed $279.4 million internationally, bringing its global total to $394.2 million.

Heretic and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever were neck and neck for second place. Counting only Friday-Sunday ticket sales, the edge went to Heretic, which debuted with $11 million.

A24’s Heretic, directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, follows two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who knock on the door of a man (Grant) they’ll regret trying to evangelize to. Though the film has been critically acclaimed for the darkest turn yet by Grant, audiences were less impressed, giving it a “C+” CinemaScore. Regardless, with a budget under $10 million, “Heretic” will easily turn a profit.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, released by Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, which specialises in Christian entertainment, is about six siblings with a bad reputation who take over the local church pageant. The film, an adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s book directed by Dallas Jenkins, did well with audiences, who gave it a “A” CinemaScore. It, too, was modestly budgeted at about $10 million.

In its seventh week of release, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot continues to show little rust in theatres. It landed in fourth place with $6.6 million, bringing its domestic haul to $130.2 million and its worldwide gross to $292 million.

Sean Baker’s acclaimed Anora, starring Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker, expanded into wide release. The Neon film, an expected best-picture contender, collected $2.4 million in 1,104 theatres. Its four-week total stands at $7.2 million.

The papal thriller, Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, continues to perform exceptionally well for an adult-oriented drama. The Focus Features release, in its third weekend of release, added 487 theatres and dipped a modest 19 per cent to earn $4.1 million. It has collected $21.5 million. Similarly, A24’s We Live in Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, has stayed strong, grossing $2.2 million in its fifth weekend for a $21.8 million total.

Overall ticket sales, though, remain sluggish. Box office is running about 11 per cent behind last year, according to Comscore. In the past two weeks, overall ticket sales are down about 50 per cent from the pre-pandemic average, according to David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

The good news for theatres. The next few weeks are lined up for several big new releases, including the Amazon MGM Christmas comedy Red One; Paramount Pictures’ Gladiator II; Universal’s Wicked; and the Walt Disney Co.’s Moana 2.

“Better late than never is the rule of the day and we can expect some positive success stories coming out of the Thanksgiving corridor, which looks the be on par with some of the biggest such frames over the past many years,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.

Before opening in US theatres, Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, kicked off in 75 overseas markets, collecting $26.6 million. The film carries a hefty price tag of about $250 million to make.