Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the only real bright spot for an otherwise lukewarm September at the box office, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 25th installment outperformed expectations at every turn. However, October has the potential to be the biggest month the industry has seen for a long time, with a trio of heavy hitters all expected to do big business.
Superhero sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage lands tomorrow, where it’ll be swiftly followed by No Time to Die and Dune, three of the year’s most hotly-anticipated big budget offerings. Halloween Kills has admittedly been kneecapped by the decision to debut the middle chapter in David Gordon Green’s slasher trilogy on Peacock the same day it comes to cinemas, but we’re still in line for a bumper frame from start to finish.
Sony doesn’t want to raise its hopes too high, with the studio estimating a $40 million three-day bow for Let There Be Carnage, as per Deadline. On the other hand, analysts are predicting a much healthier $60 million tally, which sounds much more realistic given the buzz that’s been rising to fever pitch over the last couple of weeks surrounding Tom Hardy’s return as the symbiotic antihero.
By comparison, the highest-grossing opening weekends of the pandemic era are Black Widow‘s $80 million, Shang-Chi’s $75 million, Fast & Furious 9‘s $70 million, A Quiet Place Part II‘s $48 million and Jungle Cruise‘s $35 million, so a spot in the Top 5 is all but guaranteed for Venom: Let There Be Carnage at this stage.