| Venom: The Last Dance | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kelly Marcel |
| Screenplay by | Kelly Marcel |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Marvel Comics |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Fabian Wagner |
| Edited by | Mark Sanger |
| Music by | Dan Deacon |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $110–120 million[2][3] |
| Box office | $478.9 million[2][4] |
Venom: The Last Dance is a 2024 Americansuperhero film based on theMarvel Comics characterVenom. It is the sequel toVenom (2018) andVenom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), and the fifth film inSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Written and directed byKelly Marcel, it starsTom Hardy asEddie Brock andVenom, alongsideChiwetel Ejiofor,Juno Temple,Rhys Ifans,Stephen Graham,Peggy Lu, andAlanna Ubach. In the film, Eddie and Venom are on the run from both of their worlds.
Hardy revealed in August 2018 that he was signed on to appear in a thirdVenom film andSony Pictures began development by December 2021 after the second film was released. Marcel and Hardy were writing the script by June 2022, and Marcel was set to make herdirectorial debut with the film that October. New cast members, including Ejiofor and Temple, joined in mid-2023 and filming began at the end of June 2023 in Spain. Production was halted the next month due to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and resumed that November after the strike ended. The film was completed by the end of February 2024 and its title was revealed a month later.
Venom: The Last Dance premiered at theRegalTimes Square theater in New York City on October 21, 2024, and was released in the United States on October 25. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism aimed at its convoluted story while Hardy's performance, the action sequences and visual effects were praised. Despite being the lowest-grossing film in the trilogy, it was a box office success, grossing $478.9 million worldwide.
After being transported toEarth-616 byDoctor Strange's spell,[a]Eddie Brock and theVenom symbiote are drunk in a bar inMexico. As the bartender fills them in aboutThanos and theInfinity Stones, they are forced back to their home universe onEarth-688, to the same bar.[b] Still on the run after their recent battle withCarnage, the apparent murder ofPatrick Mulligan makes international headlines with Eddie, who falsely brands him a prime suspect, forcing him to set out toNew York City in an attempt to clear his name - not before unwittingly leaving a bit of Venom at the bar.
A creature known as aXenophage has begun secretly tracking Eddie and Venom. The recent events catch the attention ofRex Strickland, a soldier who oversees Imperium, a government operation at the site of the soon-to-be-decommissionedArea 51 for the capture and study of othersymbiotes that have fallen to Earth. Mulligan, revealed to have survived his encounter with Carnage, is captured after being left for dead by another symbiote, who eluded Strickland's soldiers. He is bonded with one of many contained symbiotes and questioned by Imperium researchers Dr.Teddy Paine and Sadie "Christmas" to learn about the symbiotes' purpose on Earth before Strickland is ordered to bring Venom down.
While attaching themselves to the side of an airplane bound for New York City, Eddie and Venom are attacked by the Xenophage tracking them and are forced to drop into the Nevada desert. Venom explains to Eddie that Xenophages were unleashed into the universe by symbiote creatorKnull to retrieve a Codex, forged when a symbiote resurrects its host, which Knull hopes can free him from the prison the symbiotes trapped him in long ago. Having previously revived Eddie,[c] Venom and Eddie are now carrying a Codex which the Xenophage has tracked to Earth. After being ambushed by Strickland and his team while barely escaping from them and the Xenophage, Eddie meets Martin Moon and his family of traveling hippies and alien enthusiasts who offer him a free ride toLas Vegas on their way to Area 51. Meanwhile, Mulligan's new symbiote informs Strickland of Knull's intentions for the Codex, which can only be destroyed if either Eddie or Venom dies.
Arriving in Las Vegas, Eddie and Venom run into Mrs. Chen at acasino and Venom shares a dance with her before being ambushed by the Xenophage again. Strickland's team arrives, separates Venom from Eddie and takes them to Area 51 where Eddie reunites with Mulligan. Sadie frees Venom, who re-bonds with Eddie after Strickland shoots him. This attracts the Xenophage to the base, which kills and devours Mulligan in the battle. Venom has the other confined symbiotes released, which bond with Sadie and other hosts to fight off the Xenophage, who has signaled to Knull that the Codex has been found. Knull sends more Xenophages through portals to Earth, overwhelming the symbiotes. Realizing he must sacrifice himself to destroy the Codex and save the universe, Venom merges with the Xenophages, leads them into acid tanks, and bids Eddie farewell before ejecting him as a mortally wounded Strickland sets off his grenades to destroy them. Teddy bonds witha symbiote to save Sadie from the explosion while Eddie falls unconscious as the base burns.
Eddie later wakes up in a hospital, where a military official informs him that his actions with Venom at Area 51 have earned him anexpungement, under the condition of keeping the events that transpired a secret. Arriving in New York City, Eddie gazes at theStatue of Liberty while remembering Venom. In amid-credits scene, Knull declares that the universe is no longer safe from him now that Venom has fallen. In apost-credits scene, the bartender—who was taken into custody by Strickland shortly after Eddie left for New York—escapes the burned remains of Area 51. Nearby, a black cockroach crawls out of the rubble next to a broken vial that previously contained a sample of the Venom symbiote.
Additionally,Hala Finley and Dash McCloud portray Martin's children Echo and Leaf Moon, respectively.[15]Cristo Fernández reprises his role as the bartender from theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021), as well as a version of the character from Venom's universe.[10][16]Jared Abrahamson portrays Captain Forrest, a member of Imperium.[17] Jack Brady portrays Jim, an Imperium security guard who bonds with a brown-colored symbiote, while Jade Nicholson-Lamb portrays Jade Clark, an Imperium lab technician who bonds with a violet-colored symbiote.[18][19][20]Reid Scott, who previously portrayed Dr. Dan Lewis in the first twoVenom films, returns as the shadowy head of Imperium.[16][e]
StarTom Hardy stated in August 2018 that he had signed on to star in threeVenom films.[5] In September 2021, Hardy noted that the producers would have to continue to developSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) in future films but said they were also interested incrossing over with theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) more.[21]Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) directorAndy Serkis expressed interest in returning to direct anotherVenom film,[22] and felt there was more to explore withVenom in future films before the character could meetSpider-Man in a future crossover film,[23] including further exploration of theRavencroft Institute and other potential villains being held there.[22] In October,Tom Holland said he and producerAmy Pascal had discussed him potentially reprising his MCU role asPeter Parker / Spider-Man in futureVenom sequels, after he made acameo appearance inLet There Be Carnage via footage from the MCU filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021).[24] Neither Holland nor his character appeared in the finished film, despite Adam B. Vary later reporting in December 2024 that, according to one Sony source,The Walt Disney Company never precluded Sony from using Holland for their films, never happening out to a feeling within the studio that audiences wouldn't accept Holland's version of Spider-Man appearing in non-MCU films, especially after the releases ofNo Way Home andDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), which established the definitive boundaries of the MCU'smultiverse.[25] That December, Pascal said they were in the "planning stages" ofVenom 3.[26]
Sony Pictures confirmed the film was in development atCinemaCon in April 2022.[27] In June, Hardy revealed thatKelly Marcel was writing the screenplay after previously working on the priorVenom films and that he was co-writing the story with her.[28] Hardy was set to be paid $20 million for his involvement.[29] Serkis was unable to return as director due to his commitments toAnimal Farm, which he had delayed to work onLet There Be Carnage,[30] but ultimately portrayed the characterKnull in the film.[14] Marcel signed on in October to make herdirectorial debut with the film, which was expected to conclude theVenom trilogy.[31] She was also set to produce the film alongsideAvi Arad,Matt Tolmach, Pascal, Hutch Parker, and Hardy,[31] all doing so through their respective production companiesArad Productions,Matt Tolmach Productions,Pascal Pictures, Hutch Parker Entertainment, andHardy Son & Baker.Columbia Pictures also produces in association withMarvel Entertainment.[32] Hardy confirmed in February 2023 that pre-production work had begun.[33]Juno Temple entered negotiations to join the cast in an undisclosed "lead role" in April.[34] The next month, filming was expected to begin in June in London,[35][36] andChiwetel Ejiofor was cast asRex Strickland,[6][37] when Temple was confirmed to have been cast.[37] In June, the film was set for release in October 2024.[38]
The film featuresKnull, the King in Black of the symbiotes who was introduced to the source material in 2018. The filmmakers were always kept aware of the character, but decided they had to lay the foundations for Venom's character and his relationship with Eddie Brock before featuring the Marvel supervillain. As such, they looked for inspiration from theVenom comic books byDavid Michelinie,Todd McFarlane,Donny Cates andRyan Stegman, the latter two being Knull's creators, leading Sony to hire them for an advisory relationship and allowing at least Cates to read the screenplay. Cates and Stegman expected monetary compensation for the inclusion of Knull.[39]
Principal photography began on June 26, 2023, at Los Mateos inCartagena, Spain, as well as at theCalblanque Regional Park,[40][41] under theworking titleOrwell.[42]Fabian Wagner serves as the cinematographer after previously serving as an additional cinematographer onLet There Be Carnage.[35] The start of the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in mid-July 2023 resulted in filming being halted.[43] Later that month, the film was set to release on July 12, 2024.[44] When the actors' strike ended in early November 2023, Sony delayed the film to release on November 8, 2024, filling the November 2024 date that the studio had previously reserved for an untitled Marvel film. Production was preparing to resume at that time.[45] Filming resumed on November 16.[46] In February 2024,Clark Backo joined the cast in an undisclosed role,[11] and Temple said at the end of the month that filming was nearly completed.[47]
In March 2024, the film was titledVenom: The Last Dance and its release date was moved forward to October 25, 2024.[48] The first teaser trailer, released in June, confirmedPeggy Lu andStephen Graham were reprising their respective roles as Mrs. Chen andPatrick Mulligan from priorVenom films, as well as the castings ofRhys Ifans,Alanna Ubach, andCristo Fernández.[7][10][9] Ifans previously portrayedCurt Connors / Lizard in Sony'sThe Amazing Spider-Man (2012) andNo Way Home, while Fernández appeared inNo Way Home as a bartender who interacts with Brock after he is transported to the MCU via the multiverse. Germain Lussier atio9 questioned if the appearances of Ifans and Ejiofor, who playedKarl Mordo in the MCU, were less concerned about continuity with the MCU and were instead commentary on the multiverse, rather than being connected to their prior roles.[10] Molly Edwards ofTotal Film was also confused by the reference to themid-credits scene ofNo Way Home in the trailer, since theVenom films are set in a separate universe from the MCU.[49] John Moffatt and Aharon Bourland serve as the visual effects supervisors while Greg Baxter is the visual effects producer. Visual effects are provided byIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM),DNEG,Digital Domain,Rodeo FX, andTerritory Studio, whilethe Third Floor, Inc., Torchlight, and Host provided theprevisualization and postvisualization work.[50]Mark Sanger edited the film, which was completed at the Cary Grant Theatre at theSony Pictures Studios lot in early October 2024.[51]
By August 2024,Dan Deacon composed the score for the film.[52]
Venom: The Last Dance held its world premiere at theRegal Times Square theater in New York City on October 21, 2024,[53] and was theatrically released bySony Pictures Releasing in the United States on October 25, inIMAX and otherpremium large formats (PLFs).[48] The film was originally expected to be released in October 2024 before it was given a release date of July 12, 2024, when Sony adjusted their release schedule due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.[38][44] After the strike ended, the film's release was delayed to November 8, 2024,[45] before it was moved forward and returned to the October 2024 timeframe.[48]
The film was released on digital download on December 10, 2024, and it was released onDVD,Blu-ray and4K UHD on January 21, 2025, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[54][55]
Sony signed deals withNetflix andDisney in April 2021 for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the films' theatrical and home media windows.[56][57] Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window and included futureVenom films followingVenom: Let There Be Carnage.[56] Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed onDisney+ andHulu as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks.[57][58]
Venom: The Last Dance grossed $139.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $339.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $478.9 million.[2][4]
In the United States and Canada,Venom: The Last Dance was released alongsideConclave, and was projected to gross around $65 million from 4,125 theaters in its opening weekend.[3] The film made $22 million on its first day, including $8.5 million from Thursday night previews.[59] It went onto debut to $51 million, finishing in first but marking the lowest opening of the series.Deadline Hollywood attributed the underperformance to the ongoingYankees–Dodgers World Series and superhero genre fatigue.[60] Nevertheless, the film's international box office gross would help offset its weaker performance at the North American box office.[61] The film then made $26.1 million in its second weekend (dropping 49% from its first weekend),[62] and $16.2 million in its third weekend (dropping another 37%), retaining the top spot for three consecutive weeks.[63]The Last Dance was finally dethroned in its fourth weekend, making $7.3 million and finishing second behind newcomerRed One.[64]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 40% of 219 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "The always watchable Tom Hardy injects ample charisma intoVenom: The Last Dance, but the offering buckles under its convoluted tonal ambitions."[65]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 41 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[66] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale (the lowest of the trilogy), while those surveyed byPostTrak gave it a 73% overall positive score, with 55% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[60]
Christy Lemire ofRogerEbert.com gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "When it leans hard into the inherent absurdity of its wacky, mismatched buddy antics,Venom: The Last Dance can be a total blast. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen nearly as often as it should."[67]The Daily Telegraph'sRobbie Collin gave it 1 out of 5 stars, calling it "a yammeringly moronic, teenage-boy-pandering eyesore of the old school, with little to offer any viewer whose age or counting ability exceeds the low 20s." He concluded, "As last dances go, it's theMacarena in film form."[68]Kevin Maher ofThe Times also gave it 1 out of 5 stars, saying, "it's hugely dispiriting to watch Hardy sink so low. From the elegant character work ofStuart: A Life Backwards andTinker Tailor Soldier Spy to a blank-eyed Marvel meathead whose greatest line is: 'We've got to get the codex as far away as possible!'"[69] Alci Rengifo ofEntertainment Voice wrote, "Venom as a franchise works as a comic book cousin ofLethal Weapon or any other popular series featuring an entertaining, mismatched duo."[70] Amy Nicholson ofThe New York Times said, "Honestly, I'd rather watch Eddie and Venom dicker over pizza toppings than team up for something as banal as saving the planet."[71]
Jake Cole ofSlant Magazine gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing, "As the film progresses, it consistently escalates the stakes and scale of its action, which doesn't devolve into incomprehensible CG murk as it hurtles toward the climax."[72]The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey wrote, "It's hard to say how these films will be remembered in the grand scheme of comic book history, but, withThe Last Dance, we can at least be reminded that sometimes they actually managed to have fun with these things", and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.[73]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn Awards | February 2, 2025 | Best Science Fiction Film | Venom: The Last Dance | Nominated | [74] |
| Visual Effects Society Awards | February 11, 2025 | Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature | Xavi Martin Ramirez, Oscar Dahlen, Hedi Namar, Yuri Yang (for "Water, Fire & Symbiote Effects") | Nominated | [75] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | August 7, 2025 | Best Superhero Movie | Venom: The Last Dance | Nominated | [76] |
| Best Actor in a Superhero Movie | Tom Hardy | Nominated |
Ahead of the film's release in October 2024, Kelly Marcel said that whileThe Last Dance concludes the story arc of Eddie Brock and Venom, it sets up the character Knull for future appearances within theSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) and is the beginning of the character's story.[39] While the film was intended as the conclusion of theVenom trilogy, Hardy expressed interest in reprising his role in the future and having his character crossover with Spider-Man, saying "never say never".[77] In December 2024,TheWrap claimedKraven the Hunter would be the final film in the SSU,[78][79] butVariety refuted that claim and said that since Sony had not technically established a shared universe, they would continue to make films based on Spider-Man characters.[80]
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