The first reactions to Venom: Let There Be Carnage have been fairly positive so far, but the same could not be said for its predecessor when it was released back in 2018.
Though some critics did champion Venom's particular brand of superhero action, the majority seemed to take great delight in tearing the movie to shreds (it sits at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes), which star Tom Hardy acknowledged during an interview with CinemaBlend.
When asked about the first film's negative reception, the Eddie Brock actor pointed out that Venom was a much bigger hit with the fans - which is a hard point to dispute given its success at the box office.
"I think with anything, you want something to do well that you care about," Hardy admitted. "And obviously, it didn’t meet… it didn’t carry any water with the critics. (laughs) They literally panned us. But the audiences turned out in droves, which was what was so lovely about it. It was like watching an underdog be lifted up and be presented and enjoyed and relished for what it was. We got straight on the phone to Tom Rothman at Sony and said, ‘Look, can we put a pitch in to do the second one, because we’re really keen to take what we learned from the first and get on and start writing that second one.' (To) get on the floor again and see if we can push it further."
Of course, one significant change was Andy Serkis coming on board to replace Ruben Fleischer, and that seems to have paid off based on what we've heard. We won't know for sure until Venom: Let There Be Carnage makes its way into theaters next week, but in the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out for the first wave of reviews.
As the title suggests, the Sony Pictures sequel will see Venom go fang-to-fang with his arch-nemesis from the comics, Carnage (Woody Harrelson). Michelle Williams and Reid Scott are set to reprise their roles from Venom, and they'll be Joined by Naomie Harris as the villainous Shriek, and Stephen Graham as Detective Patrick Mulligan. Sean Delaney, Laurence Spellman, and Larry Olubamiwo are also on board in undisclosed roles.
We recently found out that Venom 2's release had been pushed forward by two weeks, and will now open on October 1. The movie is rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references."