“Venom 3” brings in $8.5 million in Thursday previews

For the last time, Tom Hardy's “Venom” hits the box office.

Sony's “Venom: The Last Dance,” the final film in the Spider-Man villain's trilogy, has grossed $8.5 million at the box office so far in its Thursday premiere.

The threequel is on track to gross $65 million in its opening weekend, which would be the lowest debut of the trilogy consisting of the original 2018 film “Venom” and its sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” 2021 exists. “The Last Dance” is on pace to open to $180 million worldwide and has grossed $35.8 million worldwide to date. While the Venom films don't cross paths with Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU, they've proven to appeal to their hardcore fans despite being unpopular with critics. The third film has a relatively modest production budget of $120, allowing it to recoup that and more after this weekend and as more international markets are added.

The first film opened with $10 million in previews before grossing $80 on its opening weekend. It grossed a massive $856 million worldwide, paving the way for a sequel and more Spider-Man villain spinoffs. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” broke through with $11.6 million in previews and an opening of $90 million – even during the pandemic, when many cinemas were still closed. It rose to $506 million worldwide.

Now Hardy and writer-director Kelly Marcel send Venom into the symbiote sunset with “The Last Dance.” Immediately following “Let There Be Carnage,” it’s about Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his parasitic sidekick Venom. They are refugees on the run from the US government and alien monsters from Venom's homeworld. The cast includes Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Cristo Fernandez and more.

Also opening this weekend is the Vatican-set drama “Conclave,” in which Ralph Fiennes plays a cardinal who has to choose the successor to the recently deceased pope. It's targeting $4 million to $6 million for its opening weekend and $500,000 in previews.