‘Venom’ sets October record with $80M; ‘Star Is Born’ soars
NEW YORK — In a weekend of perfect counterprogramming for Hollywood, the comic-book movie “Venom” shrugged off bad reviews to shatter the October box-office record with an $80 million debut, while Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” soared to $41.3 million.
With $174.5 million in tickets sold at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore, it was easily the best October weekend ever thanks to two very different films that both outperformed expectations.
“Venom” came in a critically panned, much-doubted foray by Sony Pictures to kick-start a Marvel expansion away from “Spider-Man.” Warner Bros.’ “A Star Is Born” remake rode a wave of hype, Oscar buzz and acclaim for Cooper’s directorial debut and Lady Gaga’s first leading performance.
One was a very iffy proposition; the other a sure thing. Both worked big time.