For no matter purpose, Sony grew to become satisfied that crafting a whole franchise set within the Spider-Man universe with out that includes the webslinger himself was a good suggestion. In equity, Kevin Feige and the oldsters at Marvel Studios did create probably the most profitable field workplace franchise in historical past by taking lesser-known characters and giving them the A-list character remedy. However the important thing factor there was that these early Marvel Cinematic Universe movies had been really fairly good. In any case, they had been stable blockbuster leisure. Sony, alternatively, has pumped out a string of really bewildering movies based mostly on the Marvel characters to which it owns the rights.
“Morbius,” for instance, grew to become nothing wanting a joke upon its 2022 launch, with Sony then making an attempt to double down on that joke with a theatrical re-release that additionally flopped. Simply in case the studio hadn’t already doomed its then lamentably-titled “Sony Footage Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC),” Sony delivered, “Madame Internet,” a movie that is notable for briefly changing into a kind of “so unhealthy it is good” motion pictures (the infinitely-memed “researching spiders” line appeared prefer it would possibly present considerably of a reprieve for the ill-fated movie) earlier than transcending that tenuous boundary as soon as once more to only be seen as plain terrible. With “Kraven the Hunter” having since debuted and did not make a lot of an affect, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe seems to be useless within the water.
The one motion pictures from the mercifully retitled Sony’s Spider-Man Universe that appeared to realize any actual traction had been the Tom Hardy-led “Venom” movies, which began off fairly properly earlier than getting progressively worse — to the purpose the threequel, “Venom: The Final Dance,” noticed Hardy’s Marvel trilogy finish with a whimper. Nonetheless, a $474 million take on the field workplace on a $110 million finances is not too unhealthy, and now there’s one thing else working within the movie’s favor: Netflix. Sure, the streaming crowds have elevated this in any other case critically-maligned Sony Marvel film, sending “Venom: The Final Dance” straight to the highest of the most-watched charts.
Venom goes for one final dance on the Netflix charts
Sony made some baffling selections for its Spider-Man Universe, however Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom was, a minimum of at first, an impressed one which paid dividends throughout the three motion pictures within the saga. Although the movies themselves deteriorated over that point, Hardy was at all times charismatic and clearly proper for the position. Sadly, that wasn’t sufficient to save lots of the trilogy from going downhill, however that will probably be of little concern to Sony for the reason that motion pictures stored earning money. Why had been individuals going to see a movie like “Venom: The Final Dance,” with its 40% Rotten Tomatoes rating? It stays a thriller — as does the movie’s arrival on the high of the Netflix most-watched charts.
The movie hit Netflix on February 25, 2025, and jumped straight to primary. In response to FlixPatrol, a website that tracks streaming viewership figures throughout the varied platforms, “Venom: The Final Dance” is primary in 11 nations, together with the USA. What’s extra, the movie really debuted within the high spot in all of these nations on February 26, making “The Final Dance” an instantaneous Netflix hit. In response to FlixPatrol, the movie has additionally been hovering across the backside of the charts in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Pakistan, the place it has been obtainable to stream for slightly longer.
On the time of writing, Hardy’s threequel hasn’t fared fairly properly sufficient to chart on the worldwide Prime 10 (per FlixPatrol). However that possible has to do with the staggered launch in numerous nations. In any other case, that is an unmitigated success for a movie /Movie’s Chris Evangelista described as “a rushed, clumsy, lackluster finale.”
Can Venom keep at primary on Netflix?
The debut of “Venom: The Final Dance” is a profitable one to make sure, however it’s not fairly absolutely the international domination wrought by a movie reminiscent of Cameron Diaz’s first undertaking in 11 years, “Again in Motion,” which took over the Netflix charts final month, hitting primary in 92 nations and staying within the rankings for weeks. That mentioned, Diaz’s actioner was a Netflix unique and was possible launched in additional markets on the streaming platform than Sony’s “Venom” film.
“Venom: The Final Dance” additionally did not fare all that properly with critics, however a 40% RT rating is likely to be slightly excessive for it to actually develop into a fixture on the high of the Netflix charts. “Again in Motion,” for instance, bears a lowly 29%, whereas Amy Schumer’s newest comedy, “Kinda Pregnant,” equally took over the Netflix charts with what was, on the time, a 22% RT ranking. A 40% rating appears comparatively glowing.
The actual wrestle for Sony’s newest “Venom” outing, if it needs to retain its place on the high of the Netflix rankings, is the competitors. On the time of writing, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves” simply hit the Netflix rankings at quantity two within the U.S. (as per FlixPatrol), and with its 91% RT rating, might simply dethrone “Venom.” We’ll must see how issues play out for Hardy’s final outing over the approaching week, but when he can keep on the high of the charts, it is going to possible be the final favor he does for Sony’s now defunct Marvel universe.
