Tom Hardy’s superhero tale Venom earned $80 million at 4,250 sites for Sony and Marvel.
“Venom” smashed the record for an October opening, topping the $55.8 million launch of “Gravity” by 43%.
“Venom” also dominated at the international box office with $125.2 million, setting an international record for an October opening. South Korea led the way with $16.3 million.
“Venom” and the critically acclaimed “A Star Is Born” were both able to draw effectively from beyond their core audiences. The strong domestic openings pushed the weekend’s total business to about $174 million, or 15% above the prior mark of $151.5 million set in 2015 when Matt Damon’s “The Martian” opened, according to comScore. the best October weekend of all time in North America.