Venom Officially Beats Justice League at the Box Office

Continuing to exceed expectations, Venom has officially beat Justice League at the box office. Propping up an antihero as the lead in a big-budget tentpole may have been a creative gamble on Sony’s part, but it clearly paid off.

In Venom, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative journalist who comes into contact with an alien substance while investigating the founder of an organization called Life Foundation, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). In doing so, the alien substance – officially known as a symbiote – bonds with Brock and manifests as a super-powered alter ego known as Venom. Traditionally one of Spider-Man’s arch enemies, this version of the character is more of an antihero than a villain, and despite mediocre reviews, Venom managed to garner a strong reaction from audiences; so much so that its box office earnings bested Zack Snyder’s Justice League. 

Related: Venom Blu-ray Will Reportedly Feature Extended Mid-Credits Scene [Updated]

Data from Box Office Mojo reveals that Venom has already beat Justice League global box office with a current haul of $673.5 million – $15 million more than Warner Bros.’ ensemble film, which capped off its theatrical run with a total $657.9 million earnings. With the movie still shown in cinemas around the world a month after its North American release, the antihero flick is close to being well on its way to $700 million gross.

Venom‘s box office edge mainly comes from international markets, with Justice League maintaining a bigger haul domestically with $229 million against Venom’s $206 million. Globally, however, Sony’s film has already pocketed $467 million compared to Justice League‘s $428 million. The latest boost in ticket sales comes from China, where the film just had a record-setting $111 million opening, becoming the second highest opening weekend for a superhero movie just behind Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War.

While Venom besting Justice League at the box office is impressive, it’s also veiled in some irony. In 2013, before Snyder was brought aboard to helm Warner Bros.’ first foray into the DCEU – Man of Steel – it was rumored that Venom director Ruben Fleischer was being considered to direct Justice League himself. This obviously didn’t turn out to be the case, and Fleischer managed to avoid what turned out to be a difficult undertaking. Not only did Justice League face negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, it was marred by rewrites, extensive reshoots, and Superman’s now-infamous digital upper lip. Fleischer, on the other hand, personally steered Sony towards its own cinematic universe, alongside upcoming movies likes Morbius the Living Vampire and Silver and Black.

More: Venom’s Success May Stop Spider-Man Rights Returning To Marvel

Source: Box Office Mojo

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