Did Venom: The Last Dance cut in to the Sony Spider-Man Universe's future?

When Sony Pictures determined they would make the best of the IP rights of the Spider-Man universe at the turn of the century, there was a plan to include historic characters like Venom. Much like with the more favored and dashing stepbrother over at Marvel Studios, the movies would be loosely connected and build on the infrastructure Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr., Gil Kane, and other luminaries established in the comics.

Yet, when Venom was "co-created" by Todd MacFarlane in 1988, debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 252, the thought about the symbiote was being fueled by revenge. Spider-Man was his first human host. They got separated. We'd all get perturbed if our landlord made us homeless. So, yes, Venom wanted revenge.

He was a creature of intense rage, which is why he targeted Eddie Brock. From Klyntar to San Francisco, Venom came to destroy anything -- or eat anyone -- in his path. Yet, in October 2018, something peculiar happened to the black-and-white fluid of angst. He had a slapstick comedy routine and a soft spot featured in every film. How did fans respond?

• Venom, Oct. 2018--$213.5M (domestic), $856.1M (worldwide)
• Venom: Let There be Carnage, Oct. 2021--$213.5M (domestic), $501.5M (worldwide)
• Venom: The Last Dance, Oct. 2024--$138.4M (domestic), $468.4M (worldwide)

The numbers are clear. America held out hope for Venom's most arguably formidable foe in Carnage. The global audience dropped its confidence with quickness. By the time Venom: The Last Dance arrived, the franchise's negative reputation was well-documented.

The film's digital release is upon us, as it will make its streaming debut on December 10, but will that change its marketing now that the theatrical run ends with little hoopla? Maybe "Venom: The Last Dance... at least it wasn't Madame Web."

How does Venom affect the Sony Spider-Man Universe's future earnings and interest?

We covered Aaron Taylor-Johnson's comments about his titular role as Kraven the Hunter in the upcoming film and how the film "won't disappoint". Although we agree with Taylor-Johnson, the trends about the Sony Spider-Man Universe may not feel the same.

In the movie business, it's about maintaining confidence. Watch the mighty ascension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe during The Infinity Saga. Although there were certain dips on the road to global domination (we're looking at you, Ant-Man), it is one of the most impressive feats in cinematic history. From 2008 to 2019, 23 films (mostly) shattered the ideas of box office pundits about how a comic book movie franchise could retain fans. Today, the MCU is the highest-grossing film series, valued at $29.8 billion.

As for Sony Pictures and their piece of the pie? Considering they purchased the rights to Spider-Man in 1999 for only $7 million, it's impressive. They made 10 "Spider-Man" centric films that have accumulated $8.9 billion. That's nearly a 128,000% return on investment. Then, they decided to make a "universe" with what they had left of the IP, chiefly the other characters of the Spider-Man saga.

From Venom in October 2018 to nearing the end of 2024, eight movies (Kraven the Hunter has not premiered at the time of this post) earned $3.1 billion. While that's a nice profit, the efforts include Morbius, with its less-than-stellar $162M worldwide box office receipts, and the aforementioned Madame Web, with its abysmal $100M global take.

They did create mesmerizing, animated films featuring Miles Morales, so give them their hard-earned flowers, as those films earned $374.5M (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and $681.1M (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). On that trend, there should be little doubt that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse could surpass a $1B box-office bash when it does come out. Only Sony isn't bashful about what they believe they can accomplish now that Marvel Studios is riding shotgun on certain projects.

Upcoming films, strongly rumored - and potentially cancelled - projects in the Sony Spider-Man Universe include:

• The Sinister Six (which has been rumored since 2013 but should culminate with Kraven)
• Nightwatch (with Cheo Hodari Coker of Luke Cage fame rewriting the script)
• Jackpot (another rumor since 2018 attached to comic writer Marc Guggenheim)
• In 2020, Roberto Orci, screenwriter of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was hired to pen another film set insider the SSV that will be tangential, but not connected, to Peter Parker.
• In mid-2022, El Muerto was announced from Sony's CinemaCon. It would star Bad Bunny, who impressed in Bullet Train. Given that Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez was a Luchadore in the comics and WWE gave Bad Bunny a headlining match at Backlash 2023, things looked optimal for the film. Since then, it seems the film itself is "Muertos," which is a shame.
• In December 2022, Sony boasted what fans connected the dots months prior: Donald Glover would star (and produce) in a franchise film about Hypno-Hustler. The dots were Glover's live and vocal cameos as Aaron Davis/Prowler in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, respectively.
• In 2023, THR (via The Direct) confirmed Olivia Wilde was "still attached to direct a Marvel feature for Sony." The film's rumor has Spider-Woman at its core, which has been alive and not-so-well since August 2020.

So, in a word about Venom stunting the Sony Spider-Man Universe's growth? No, but Kraven the beast better man up at the global turnstiles and hunt down a sizable profit. You know, it's a jungle out there. (Sorry.)