‘Venom 3’ Scores Third Box Office No. 1 With $14 Million
In another quiet weekend for the box office, Sony/Columbia’s “Venom: The Last Dance” is cruising to a third No. 1 weekend with approximately $15 million grossed, topping newcomers “Heretic” from A24 and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company.
“The Last Dance” made $3.9 million on its third Friday and is projected to have a domestic total of $112.5 million, continuing its trajectory of finishing with a domestic and global total lower than the past two “Venom” films, but still theatrically profitable against its $120 million budget.
“Heretic” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” are in a narrow race for the No. 2 spot. Currently, “Pageant” has the edge with a $5 million opening from 3,020 locations, putting it on track for a $10.7 million opening against a reported $20 million budget.
The family holiday film is set for a sustained run in theaters, earning an A on CinemaScore from Kingdom Story Company’s devoted audience along with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 89% critics and 99% audience.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a much-needed success for Lionsgate, snapping a streak of flops that contributed to a $163 million quarterly loss. It is not only set to post a higher opening weekend than Lionsgate’s big-budget flop “Borderlands,” but is also the first film from the studio since “The Strangers — Chapter 1” back in May to earn a $10 million-plus opening.
“Heretic” earned $4.3 million on opening day from 3,211 locations, putting it on track for a $10 million opening as well. With a production budget reported to be less than that, this provocative horror film starring Hugh Grant will be successful even if it ends up being front-loaded, as critics are praising the film with a 92% RT score while audiences are more mixed with a C+ on CinemaScore and 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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