Venom’s biggest competition that opening weekend is Warner Bros’ A Star is Born, which earned critical acclaim out of the Toronto International Film Festival, but is predicted to come in second place with between $28-$30 million domestically (Warner Bros says it will be closer to $25 million).
Early box office tracking initially put Venom at making between $30-$50 million opening weekend domestically, while last month that range increased to $55-$85 million.
If Venom manages to hit the $56 million mark or beyond in its first couple days, it will surpass the previous domestic October record holder Gravity, which drew in $55.8 million opening weekend, while other October heavy hitters from recent years include The Martian and Paranormal Activity 3.
Now THR has passed along that Venom looks to be settling down for a potential $65 million debut, although Sony is being more conservative with its estimates, instead suggesting a $55-$65 million launch.