Venom: Let There Be Carnage sets pandemic record with $90 million debut

It takes two to conquer the box office: Eddie Brock and Venom. Sony's Venom: Let There Be Carnage opened with a massive weekend haul, taking in $90.1 million and capturing not just the top spot for the biggest pandemic era opening weekend but also the mantle of the second-best October debut for a film.

Directed by Andy Serkis, the superhero sequel film to 2018's Venom sees Tom Hardy returning to the role of Eddie Brock, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, and Boardwalk Empire's Stephen Graham also star.

Although Venom: Let Their Be Carnage isn't technically a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, it demonstrates that superheroes are what the world wants to see at the movies right now, joining Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as one of the highest-grossing films.

The Addams Family 2 debuted in second place, taking in $18 million and capturing the highest theatrical opening for a family animated title during the pandemic era. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi continued to show its box office staying power, holding steady in the third spot with a weekend gross of $6 million and bringing its North American box office total to $206.1 million.

Warner Bros. highly anticipated Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark debuted in fourth place with a weekend gross of $5 million while Dear Evan Hansen placed fifth in its second week of release, bringing in $2.4 million.

Rounding out the top five were a mixture of box office holdovers and new features including Ryan Reynold's Free Guy ($2.27 million), Candyman ($1.23 million), and Jungle Cruise ($680K).

Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company's Erwin Brothers musical documentary The Jesus Music debuted in ninth place with $560K, while Neon's Titane clinched the final spot in the top ten with $515K.

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