Venom: The Last Dance Continues to Dominate Box Office, Approaching $400 Million Worldwide

 Sony’s final installment in the *Venom* trilogy, *Venom: The Last Dance*, topped the box office for a third weekend amid a quieter post-election and Veteran’s Day period. The film grossed $16.225 million across 3,905 theaters, resulting in a per-screen average of $4,155 and marking a 37% decline from last week. Notably, overall box office revenue for the weekend is over 25% down compared to this time last year, when *The Marvels* debuted.

Although the new releases *Heretic* and *The Best Christmas Pageant Ever* initially edged out *Venom* on Friday—with the threequel collecting $3.95 million—it rebounded with $7.15 million on Saturday, while Sunday projections estimate $5.125 million. IMAX screenings contributed significantly, with $1.5 million domestically and $2.3 million globally, bringing *Venom: The Last Dance* to a $10 million IMAX domestic total ($29.6 million worldwide), continuing its lead in the format.

Internationally, *Venom: The Last Dance* took in an additional $33 million across over 22,300 screens in 66 markets, lifting its international total to $279.4 million (including $82.8 million from China) and a global total of $394.2 million. It is expected to surpass the $400 million milestone shortly, making it Sony’s highest-grossing film worldwide of 2024, overtaking *Bad Boys: Ride or Die* at $400.5 million. Fans are keen to see if it can approach *Venom: Let There Be Carnage*'s $501.5 million global haul.

In second place, Lionsgate’s *The Best Christmas Pageant Ever*, a family-friendly, faith-based film, narrowly claimed $11.1 million from 3,020 locations, with a strong per-screen average of $3,675. The film benefitted from a special preview screening earlier in the week, adding $2.2 million to the weekend total. Despite upcoming competition from *Red One*, this modest-budget film has been well received, scoring an “A” CinemaScore and a 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

*Heretic*, A24's new horror release, also made a notable debut, earning $11 million over its opening weekend on 3,221 screens, with a per-screen average of $3,420. Touted as actor Hugh Grant's most notable debut weekend in two decades, the film enjoyed positive critical reception with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating but a more mixed CinemaScore of “C+” due to its divisive theme.

Other notable performances include *Elevation*, a sci-fi survival film directed by George Nolfi and starring Anthony Mackie, which earned $1.185 million across 1,416 locations. Crunchyroll’s *Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom*, an anime release, took in $1.165 million from 621 theaters, with its best day on Friday, pulling in $555,000.

In international markets, Warner Bros. handled the overseas release for Amazon/MGM’s holiday film *Red One*, featuring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. The movie opened with $26.6 million across 75 markets, on par with *Jungle Cruise*’s 2021 debut.