'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' Shifts Release Date Back One Week

Last fall should have marked the return of Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and the slimy, hulking creature known as Venom. But the coronavirus pandemic came along and ruined all our excitement about seeing how many lobster tanks Venom jumps into this time. Thankfully, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is still on track to arrive in theaters this year, but it's been pushed back again ever so slightly.

Sony Pictures sent out a press release announcing the Venom: Let There Be Carnage release date has been pushed back to September 24, 2021. That's one week later than the previously set date of September 17. Though no reason was given for the delay, it's possible that Sony wanted to give audiences a little more time to see the upcoming Marvel Studios movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Too many comic book movies at once could oversaturate the market, and maybe crowds wouldn't be so keen on seeing Venom 2 after Shang-Chi.

At the same time, the shift does seem rather odd since the only other competition Venom had on the September 17 weekend was The Boss Baby: Family Business. Though that will undoubtedly be a big hit with families, the Venom sequel should have served as perfect counter-programming for people who don't care about the insane world of quasi-adult babies. Now Venom: Let There Be Carnage is going up against the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Mark Wahlberg's Infinite, the musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen, and Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye, starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield. Maybe Sony Pictures knows something we don't and not all those movies will end up keeping that release date.

Either way, Sony shouldn't have too much trouble drumming up excitement for the Venom sequel since the original grossed over $850 million worldwide. There's a chance many viewers ended up being put-off by the comic book movie, which felt like a grittier version of The Mask, but there are still plenty who will be interested to see a sequel that brings Woody Harrelson into the equation as the vicious Marvel Comics villain Carnage.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage also stars Michelle Williams and Naomie Harris. Behind the camera this time is Andy Serkis as director, working from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, who also cracked the story with Tom Hardy.