“Venom: The Last Dance” Opens Strong with ₦72 Million, Ranks as Year’s Second Biggest Release

“Venom: The Last Dance” has stormed Nigerian cinemas with an impressive three-day opening of ₦71.9 million, extending to ₦77.8 million with advanced screenings included, making it the second biggest opening in Nigeria this year.

The third installment of Sony Pictures’ Marvel franchise is outpacing its predecessor, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” selling 14,369 tickets compared to the 13,906 opening tally for the 2021 film.

In its first full week, the film grossed ₦117.7 million and has reached ₦123.6 million as of this report. The next five films on Nigeria’s box office chart—”Queen Lateefah” (₦27.8 million), “The Uprising: Wives on Strike III” (₦27.2 million), “Farmer’s Bride” (₦10.8 million), “3 Working Days” (₦8.3 million), and “Smile 2” (₦4.7 million)—earned a combined total still lower than “Venom: The Last Dance” in the same timeframe.

Internationally, the film opened to $51 million in North America. While this falls short of the $80 million launch for 2018’s “Venom” and $90 million for “Let There Be Carnage”, the overseas market is boosting its success, with a $124 million haul bringing the global opening to $175 million. China, in particular, brought in $45.7 million over five days, marking the biggest superhero debut in the market since the pandemic.

Currently, “Venom: The Last Dance” is heading towards a $350 million milestone, with a total global haul of $317 million, including $227 million internationally and $90 million domestically. The upcoming week will be crucial in determining whether director Kelly Marcel’s production, with a $120 million budget, will close in on the $850 million achievement of Ruben Fleischer’s 2018 “Venom”.

Though its IMDb rating of 6.2, Rotten Tomatoes score of 37%, and a second-weekend drop of 49% to $26 million domestically suggest it may be the trilogy’s lowest-grossing entry, “Venom: The Last Dance” is proving itself a box office favorite in Nigeria.