How Sony built a blockbuster antihero franchise without its most famous wall-crawling star
In short: When Sony launched its own Marvel universe with 2018's Venom, it faced a unique challenge: building a film around a character defined by Spider-Man, while the web-slinger was busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The result was a surprising box office juggernaut that redefined the antihero genre.
The 2018 film Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer, marked the start of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The project had a long, turbulent history, with early attempts dating back to 1997. After Eddie Brock appeared in 2007's Spider-Man 3, Sony spent years trying to develop a spin-off. By 2016, the studio pivoted to a standalone approach, drawing inspiration from the 1993 comic miniseries Venom: Lethal Protector and the 1995 story arc Planet of the Symbiotes. These sources allowed the filmmakers to focus on the character's origins independent of Spider-Man, who was unavailable due to Sony's licensing deal with Marvel Studios.
Tom Hardy, who was paid $7 million for the role, brought a unique approach to the character. He recorded lines for the symbiote early each day, playing them back through an earpiece to facilitate the 'hybrid' relationship between Eddie Brock and the alien entity. Hardy compared their dynamic to Ren and Stimpy, aiming for a duality that Fleischer described as distinct from the lighter tone of the MCU or the somber DCEU. The film's production, which cost $100 million with a third covered by Tencent Pictures, utilized locations in Atlanta, New York City, and San Francisco.
Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, the film was a massive commercial success, earning $856.1 million worldwide and becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2018. It set several box office records for an October release. The film's success paved the way for two sequels, Let There Be Carnage in 2021 and The Last Dance in 2024. While Sony executives were initially concerned that an R-rating might hinder future crossovers, the final PG-13 cut successfully established a new franchise, proving that the character could thrive as a standalone antihero.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Venom (2018 film)
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