Comic sequel to the debut behind the first two films

“Venom: The Last Dance” hopes to gross at least $65 million at the box office in its debut. The third and final installment in the Tom Hardy-led antihero franchise hits 4,125 North American theaters on Friday.

Those ticket sales would fall far short of the previous two installments, 2018's “Venom” (which opened at $80 million) and 2021's “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (which opened at $90 million US dollar set a pandemic-era record). The comic episode is intended to resonate with international audiences; “Venom 3” is expected to gross $85 million overseas, giving it a global opening of $150 million.

“The Last Dance” cost $120 million to produce, not including worldwide marketing efforts. Since theater owners get to keep about half of ticket sales, “Venom 3” will have to stay on the big screen beyond its debut to justify that price. Kelly Marcel, who wrote the first two films, directed the PG-13 threequel, in which Hardy plays investigative journalist Eddie Brock and his clueless sidekick and parasite Venom, both on the run from their world. “Venom” exists in the Sony universe of Marvel characters – so the otherworldly, deadly protector does not interact with comic characters from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. (He did, however, appear in the credits of Sony's 2021 tentpole Spider-Man: No Way Home.)

“Venom,” whose title character is an adversary of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics, has proven to be review-proof. The first two films were panned by critics, with the original having an average of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes and the second improving slightly at 57%. But these negative feelings hardly deterred fans, with “Venom” grossing $856 million worldwide and “Let There Be Carnage” grossing $506 million worldwide. Reviews for the third entry are subject to an embargo.

“Venom: The Last Dance” will easily top the domestic box office, dethroning last weekend’s champion, Paramount’s spooky sequel “Smile 2,” which grossed $23 million. Another new release, the Ralph Fiennes-directed thriller “Conclave,” is expected to gross $4 million to $6 million in 1,742 theaters between Friday and Sunday. Edward Berger (“All Quiet in the West”) directed “Conclave,” a thrilling Vatican-set drama about the election of the new pope – which holds secrets that could shake the foundations of the church. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini round out the cast. Focus Features acquired domestic rights to the PG film, which has solid reviews. “This thinking man’s thriller unfolds like a murder mystery.” diversity Chief film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review. “Just when you think you've got it figured out, 'Conclave' delivers one of the most satisfying twists in years, a Hail Mary that both surprises and restores faith.”