'Venom: The Last Dance' holds strong in second weekend; Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis film 'Here' struggles with low box office opening

In its second weekend at the box office, Sony’s 'Venom: The Last Dance' held steady, pulling in over $22 million—a similar rate to 2018’s 'Venom', with a drop of just 56%. Despite being a solid performer, the studio didn’t have the same luck with 'Here', a new movie by director Robert Zemeckis featuring 'Forrest Gump' stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. 'Here', which had a $50 million production budget, only earned about $5.15 million, a weaker debut than projected. Even if it had opened at its estimated $7 million, it wouldn’t have been a major hit. With mixed reviews and an average “B-” CinemaScore, the movie struggled to gain momentum among audiences.

'Here' isn’t the lowest-opening film for Zemeckis or Hanks. Zemeckis’ 'Welcome to Marwen', a 2018 box office disappointment, opened to just $2.35 million with a similar production cost, and 'News of the World', starring Hanks, faced challenges due to pandemic closures in major markets, opening with $2.2 million. Despite 'Here' having appeal for some, the audience largely skewed older, with nearly half over 55, and the film’s lukewarm reviews (only a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes) haven’t helped. About 64% of viewers cited Hanks as the reason they attended, but word-of-mouth interest remains limited.

Meanwhile, films with lower budgets and more critical acclaim are performing modestly well. For example, 'Conclave' from Focus Features opened last weekend to $6.5 million. Made on a $20 million budget, it received a “B+” rating from audiences and has a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In its second weekend, it held well with only a 24% drop, earning another $5 million. On the other hand, other smaller releases like 'Saturday Night' ($3.4 million), 'The Apprentice' ($1.6 million), and 'Piece by Piece' ($3.8 million) have similarly had subdued runs despite solid receptions.




The box office also saw a strong Diwali weekend performance by two Hindi films: 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa', a horror comedy, and 'Singham Again', an action film by Rohit Shetty. Both films have performed well in key markets like Toronto, New York, and Houston, earning around $2 million each for the weekend.

Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood's new movie, 'Juror #2', received a limited release, with Warner Bros. opting not to report its early earnings. Though Eastwood’s potential final film has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating, the studio may be avoiding a full release to protect the film's reputation and maintain Eastwood's long-standing legacy in Hollywood.

As for Liam Neeson’s new gangster movie 'Absolution', the film opened to $1.1 million in over 1,500 theaters, signaling a steady, if modest, presence in cinemas, with most of its financial returns expected to come from streaming.