‘Venom’ and ‘A Star Is Born’ Hit Huge in Weekend Box Office
Venom shrugged off bad reviews to shatter the October box-office record with an $80 million debut, while A Star Is Born soared to $41.3 million at North American theatres.
Venom came in a critically panned, much-doubted foray by Sony Pictures to kick-start a Marvel expansion away from Spider-Man. Warner Bros.' A Star Is Born remake rode a wave of hype, Oscar buzz and acclaim for Bradley Cooper's directorial debut and Lady Gaga's first leading performance.
One was a very iffy proposition; the other a sure thing. Both worked big time.
Yet audiences flocked to Venom in record numbers, with the film grossing $125.2 million overseas taking its total to $205.2 million globally. A Star Is Born, meanwhile, earned $14 million overseas.
Venom, starring Tom Hardy as the antihero who first app...