And while the overwhelmingly negative critical reaction is unlikely to please distributors Sony, it seems likely to gladden the hearts of those Lady Gaga fans who have identified Venom as chief competition to Gaga’s new film, A Star Is Born.
Others combined attacks on Venom with plugs for A Star Is Born.
Nonetheless, A Star Is Born is considered a strong Oscars favourite and goes into this year’s race the frontrunner to take best picture.
But a new facility allowing for online voting raised the concern that Gaga fans who hadn’t seen the film would flood the digital ballot box.