When the Venom symbiote comes out to play, it can really... stick. The unexpected blockbuster might be waning in the States to make room for the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse this holiday season, but Venom is such a big hit in China that it has earned itself another month in theaters.
Since Venom hit theaters in China on Nov. 9, the film has broken record after record. In its first weekend, it made $111 million, morphing it into the second biggest superhero film for the country to date. After a month at the box office things haven't slowed down either, as Venom has racked up $265 million in China and continues to make more than $1 million per day, per THR.
It then follows suit that Sony has been granted an extended 30-day release window in China for Venom. The country rarely grants imported films the ability to remain in theaters for longer than a month, but for those major dollar signs an exception has been made.
Venom's international success in China is second only to Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, which nabbed $360 million in the Middle Kingdom alone. Other Hollywood hits to make it over $200 million at China's box office in 2018 were Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Ready Player One.
Sony's first attempt at creating its own cinematic universe based on Marvel's Spider-Verse also did quite well in the U.S. as it made over $80 million in its first weekend and a collective $212 million domestically. Critics were not impressed by Venom, but this didn't stop it from breaking October records and receiving positive responses from moviegoers (it has an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes).
Due to Venom becoming an all-around hit domestically and internationally, the film has propelled Sony to a box office milestone, hitting over $2 billion before the holiday season, which the studio hasn't accomplished since 2012. The studio still has two releases before 2018 closes out, with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly comedy Holmes & Watson also coming to theaters.
As Venom soon hits its second month in China, it is heading into some fierce competition. Aquaman is sure to make waves this Friday, The Grinch will be premiering on Dec. 14 and Bumblebee will hit in the country on January 4. The Transformers franchise typically does very well in China; for example, 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight made over $228 million there, compared to the $130 million domestically. So, Universal could see a big hit in China with the upcoming spin-off.
Venom's massive international success also marks a win for the studio's planned Marvel spin-offs for Morbius, Silk, Black Cat and Silver Sable, which are among the superhero projects reportedly in the works. Also considering these big numbers, don't be surprised if a sequel for Venom is also announced.
