Reaching pre-pandemic levels, ‘Venom’ debuts with $90.1M

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Pandemic moviegoing is finally starting to look like pre-pandemic moviegoing. Sony Pictures’ Marvel sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” blew away expectations to debut with $90.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it easily the best opening of the pandemic. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” had been forecast to open with closer to half that total. But the film, which is playing exclusively in theaters, exceeded even the debut of the 2018 original. The result — plus robust international sales for the James Bond film “No Time to Die” — constituted the best news for movie theaters in more than 18 months.