The second part of the comic book hit “Venom” is one of the most postponed premieres during the pandemic. It has been moved several times since last October, most recently on 15th October this year. Now studio Sony has decided to make another change. This time it’s for the benefit of fans appearing in Tom Hardy’s film, who will be able to see the film two weeks in advance, on October 1.
Sony announced its decision shortly after another comic book show, the Disney/Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” surprised film market analysts and brought more films in theaters than they expected. Directed by Destina by Daniel Cretton, the film broke one of the pre-pandemic box office records, sending a clear signal that audiences are increasingly excited to visit theaters despite the fear of the coronavirus. The financial results of the film “Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings” became another argument for showing the hottest movie news only in theaters. Studios are still trying to find the best solution, often deciding to premiere simultaneously in theaters and streaming.
In the last few weeks, studio Sony has introduced many changes to its premiere calendar. In August, the release date of Venom 2: Carnage was changed from September 24 to October 15. Now Andy Serkis’ film will hit theaters on October 1. Another film from this studio, Ghostbusters. Dziedzictwo”, in turn moved a week ahead – was supposed to hit theaters on November 11, and is due for release on November 19. It will therefore replace the place vacated by the film “After 3 Ocal mnie”, which was postponed until 2022.
On the same day as “Venom 2: Carnage”, American theaters will see films such as the second part of the animated film “The Addams Family”, the prequel to “The Sopranos”, namely “All the Saints of New Jersey” and a local film polski “Żeby nie było śladów”. Of this production, only “No Time to Die” will premiere simultaneously on the VOD platform.
The first part of “Venom 2: Carnage” hit theaters in October 2018. In his first weekend he grossed $80 million. The film Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings are now achieving similar results in theaters. In an era of the pandemic, it’s hard to expect that a “Venom” sequel would make as much of a “number one”, which was an unexpected box office hit – in total, the film grossed $856 million worldwide.
During the lengthy work of the 2018 film Venom, it was planned to introduce the character Carnage as the main antagonist. However, during pre-production, it was decided not to play this character and focus on the title character. Ultimately, Cletus Kasady, Carnage’s alter ego, was only released in a short post-credits scene, with a plot extension slated for a sequel.
In August 2018, Tom Hardy announced that he had signed on for two more films about Venom. In late November of the same year, Sony set a release date for the untitled Marvel sequel to October 2, 2020, which would be the date for the 2018 Venom sequel. In January 2019, Kelly Marcel was hired to write the script for the film.
It was also announced at the time that Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal would return as producers. Sony is considering hiring Ruben Fleischer as director, but for his work on Zombieland: Balls in the Head, a possible replacement is also being sought.
In late July 2019, the studio planned to start work in November of the same year and met with several candidates for the director position, including Andy Serkis, Travis Knight, and Rupert Wyatt. In early August, it was announced that Serkis had taken the position. In September of the same year, Hutch Parker joined the producer group.
In April 2020, the studio decided to postpone the film’s premiere until June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the full title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage was revealed. In March 2021, the film’s release date was postponed again to September of the same year, and in August it was decided to postpone it for another month.