The month of October 2024 has been a poor one for the industry. A lot was hoped from Joker: Folie à Deux but it crashed after a decent first day. Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Jigra, too, put up disappointing numbers. Nothing much was expected until the arrival of big Diwali releases. Hence, the exhibition sector is pleasantly surprised to see that the Hollywood film, Venom: The Last Dance, has managed to have a great advance booking. What’s astonishing is that it releases on October 25, a week before Diwali. This is considered the dullest week of the year and yet, the Hollywood film is expected to strike gold.
Venom: The Last Dance will have paid previews on Thursday, October 25. Usually, multiplexes play a couple of shows during Thursday previews. Venom: The Last Dance, however, is an exception. Metro Inox in Mumbai and Cinepolis Seawoods, Navi Mumbai have as many as 9 shows today. Inox Megaplex, Malad will play 10 shows of the film. Cinepolis, Viviana Mall, Thane has a record 13 shows of Venom: The Last Dance. A similar scenario can also be seen in other cities, including B and C centres.
As of Wednesday, October 23 10:00 am, Venom: The Last Dance has sold 40,626 tickets from Thursday to Sunday in PVR Inox cinemas. Nearly 14,000 tickets were sold until yesterday and the number has increased exponentially since then.
At this rate, Venom: The Last Dance will open around Rs. 4 crores on Thursday, which is a fair number considering that shows begin only after 4:00 pm. This will also be one of the biggest paid preview collections after Stree 2 (2024) and Chennai Express (2023). The number is expected to go higher on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if the word of mouth is positive. If that happens, it’ll have an extended weekend of nearly Rs. 20 crores. This would be more than the weekend numbers of Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video (Rs. 19.17 crores) and Jigra (Rs. 16.64 crores).
A section of the trade isn’t surprised by the advance ticket sales. A trade expert said, “The second part of the series, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), was released without Maharashtra during Covid and that too when there was the rule of 50% occupancy. Yet, it opened at Rs. 2.88 crores. This shows that the character has a following and he is also popular among the masses.”
The first partVenom (2018) opened at Rs. 4.09 crores and had a lifetime of Rs. 34.31 crores. It now remains to be seen if Venom: The Last Dance is able to go past this number. It all depends on the showcasing it gets from next Friday, that is, once Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 release on Diwali, November 1. The Hollywood film will have to give up almost all the single screens and a big chunk shows in multiplexes, which will affect its second week collections.
Nevertheless, Venom: The Last Dance will give much-needed respite to the cinema owners, who have been suffering for the last two months due to the non-performance of most films. Its opening will also raise a question of whether the pre-Diwali week is really as bad as perceived. Two years back, Black Adam (2022) was released 5 days before Diwali and managed to open at Rs. 6.80 crores. Its lifetime earnings of Rs. 48.13 crores were more than that of the big Diwali release, Thank God (2022), which earned Rs. 34.89 crores. If Venom: The Last Dance continues its momentum, it could pave the way for more films to capitalize on pre-Diwali openings, offering a much-needed boost to an otherwise sluggish market.
Venom: The Last Dance’s advance ticket sales in PVR Inox (as of Wednesday, October 24, 10:00 am)
Thursday: 13,818 admits (Rs. 47.60 lakhs)
Friday: 10,900 admits (Rs. 37.44 lakhs)
Saturday: 9,693 admits (Rs. 35.55 lakhs)
Sunday: 6,215 admits (Rs. 21 lakhs)
TOTAL: 40,626 admits (Rs. 1.41 crores)
Venom: The Last Dance’s advance ticket sales in Moviemax (as of Thursday, October 25, 12 noon)
Thursday: 824 admits (Rs. 1.70 lakhs)
Friday: 592 admits (Rs. 1.15 lakhs)
Saturday: 566 admits (Rs. 1.11 lakhs)
Sunday: 306 admits (Rs. 61,000)
TOTAL: 2,288 admits (Rs. 4.57 lakhs)
