Venom: Let There Be Carnage has had its release date pushed back for a second time.
Multiple outlets, including Variety and IGN, have reported that the Marvel anti-hero and Spider-Man villain's sequel would not be arriving on June 25 as previously planned. Instead, the Sony Pictures developed movie will now launch worldwide on September 17, providing that there are no more delays as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Spider-Man movies ranked
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: 4 theories on what the movie's official title could mean
- How to watch the Marvel movies in order
Venom: Let There Be Carnage was originally supposed to arrive in theaters on October 2, 2020. Like every other film that was expected to launch last year, however, Venom 2's release was delayed due to the pandemic forcing cinema chains across the globe to shut their doors.
Why has Venom: Let There Be Carnage been delayed again?
There are two major reasons behind Sony's decision. The first, as we mentioned, is related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite multiple nations rolling out vaccine programs to combat the disease, theaters will remain closed in most world regions until it's safe for them to reopen.
Cinema chains, such as AMC, will reportedly open almost all of their theaters beginning March 19 in the US (h/t Yahoo), but other countries – such as the UK – won't see most of their big screens reopen until April 5 at the very earliest (h/t ScreenDaily).
With 2018's Venom pulling in a surprising $856 million at the global box office, it's clear that Sony wants to build on that success with Venom 2. Some film fans, though, will want to wait until it's 100% safe before returning to indoor theaters. Without those punters buying tickets, Venom: Let There Be Carnage isn't likely to make a profit or cover monetary outlays such as marketing costs.
The movie's delayed release, then, is primarily a business decision, but it's not the only reason why Venom 2 won't arrive until September 17. F9 – or Fast and Furious 9 – is now set to launch theatrically on June 25. If these two tentpole movies had gone up against each other if Venom 2 had also landed on that date, Sony probably feels that it wouldn't be able to compete with a series that has raked in almost $6 billion worldwide since June 2001.
Instead, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will go up against Disney's Death on the Nile remake and Universal's The Boss Baby: Family Business – movies Sony might expect to beat at the box office.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom, Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady/Carnage, Michelle Williams as Anne Weying, and Naomi Harris as Shriek. The movie will launch worldwide on September 17.
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: everything we know so far
