**"Venom: The Last Dance" Secures $8.5 Million in Thursday Previews, Aiming for Strong Global Debut**

"Venom: The Last Dance" made an impressive start with $8.5 million earned from Thursday night previews at the domestic box office. While it seems poised to record the lowest opening among the three films in the franchise within North America, its global performance tells a different story.

Early reports indicate that "The Last Dance" is expected to launch globally with an impressive $180 million, marking a five percent increase over the worldwide debut of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," which brought in $171.6 million in 2021. Up to Thursday, the film had already grossed $35.8 million worldwide, including the $8.5 million from early U.S. and Canada screenings that began at 2 p.m. across 3,452 locations.

In China, the film premiered on Wednesday with a staggering $9.4 million, making it the largest opening day for a comic book movie since "Spider-Man: Far From Home" in 2019. To date, it has accrued a total of $14.7 million in the Chinese market.

Back in North America, the first "Venom" movie set an October record with an $80.2 million opening in 2018, a title that was later snatched by "Joker" in 2019 with a $96.2 million debut. The second installment, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," opened to $90 million in October 2021, providing a significant boost to theaters recovering from the pandemic and proving to be a major victory for Sony.

"Venom: The Last Dance" is predicted to achieve the largest opening for any October 2024 release following the underwhelming performance of "Joker: Foile à Deux," which debuted with $37 million. Sequels and threequels often see a decline in U.S. box office revenue, but Sony remains optimistic. The studio is banking on the enthusiasm of dedicated fans to make the third film a standout success.

With a reported production budget of $120 million, excluding marketing costs, "Venom 3" is directed by Kelly Marcel. Tom Hardy returns in the titular role, and he also co-wrote the script with Marcel, who is making her directorial debut with this feature.

For a different genre, Focus Features, which is handling the domestic release of an Oscar contender, reported $500,000 in previews, aligning with expectations for a film targeting an adult audience.