Sony has delayed its superhero sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage yet again, reports SlashFilm. A sequel to the 2018 movie Venom was to come out on September 24, 2021. However, the studio decided to push the release until October 15, 2021.
There are at least two chief reasons for this decision. First, the returns for summer blockbusters haven’t been all that great. Sure, F9: The Fast Saga opened with a bang, grossing over $70 million in its inaugural weekend. Three weeks later, Black Widow opened to the tune of $80 million. But none of the movies that came out afterward achieved those numbers. Considering even surefire blockbusters like The Suicide Squad and Jungle Cruise barely passed $25 million in their opening weekends, it is understandable if Sony executives got cold feet.
And then there’s the pandemic. Even with vaccines available, audiences aren’t all that eager to return to cinemas – that is, those who actually believe the pandemic is a threat. Now, with the more contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 spreading all over the country, Sony’s decision may merely be the first out of many to follow.
As with so many other films last year, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was postponed several times. Initially, it was to open on October 2, 2020, before being moved to June 25, 2021. By then, it was moved again: first to September 17, 2021, and then to September 24, 2021. Now we’re on October 15, 2021, and there’s no sure sign the studio won’t postpone it again.
