A star is born,indeed, and his name is Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a.k.a the Venom Symbiote, a.k.a Sony and Marvel’s alien antihero who a record-breaking amount of people just saw eat a thug’s head off his body. DirectorRuben Fleischer’sVenomhauled in $80 million in its opening weekend, easily becoming the highest-grossing October debut of all time. In the words of the sticky big guy himself, “The way I see it, we can do whatever we want.”
The massive take putsVenomahead of the previous October record-holder, directorAlfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, which opened to $55.7 million in 2013.Venompremiered on 4,250 screens and was bolstered by an absolutely bonkers $10 million in Thursday night previews.Venom’s opening not only sticks it firmly atop the October box office but slots it into the seventh highest opening of the year, right above July’sAnt-Man and the Wasp.
Meanwhile, theactualA Star Is Bornis rocking out pretty darn hard as well.Bradley Cooper’s soul-stirring directorial premiered above expectations with $41.2 million. Cooper himself stars as an aging country-rocker alongside an absolutely dynamiteLady Gaga, who puts in one heck of an Oscar-worthy performance.A Star Is Bornblasted out of festival season to rave reviews and amp feedback-like buzz, and audiences seem to agree; the R-rated drama has an A CinemaScore.
Elsewhere, George Tillman Jr.‘sThe Hate U Give—another film with its eyes set firmly on Oscar night, adapted from Angie Thomas’ novel—opened at the specialty box office, taking in $500,000 on 36 screens.
Check out the weekend’s top 10 estimates below, and be back here next week to see ifFirst Mancan land better thanBad Times at the El Royale.
$80,030,000
A Star Is Born
$41,250,000
$42,600,000
$14,900,000
$42,760,945
Night School
$12,275,000
$46,750,355
The House With a Clock In Its Walls
$7,295,000
$55,050,560
A Simple Favor
$3,435,000
$49,014,356
$2,610,000
$113,367,310
$2,075,000
$8,864,476
Crazy Rich Asians
$2,060,000
$169,134,942
The Predator
$49,985,889
