Sony moves Venom: Let There Be Carnage release dates forward

Sony’s decision comes after the box office success of ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Sony has moved the release date of Venom: Let There Be Carnage forward from 15 October to 1 October.

Directed by Andy Serkis, the film sees the return of Tom Hardy as the title character.

The original Venom was first released in October 2018 and was a huge box office success, grossing $856m (around £618m), but received mixed reviews from critics.

Sony’s decision comes after the box office success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, another Marvel movie, which brought in over $140m (about £101m) over its opening weekend and by the end of Monday.

A sequel was announced only three months after Venom’s release, with Hardy confirmed to return alongside co-star Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson, who was introduced as the character of serial killer Cletus Kasady in a mid-credits scene.

In the Marvel comics, Kasady merges with a symbiote to become Carnage, who is referenced in the sequel’s new title, Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

The new release date of the film places it one week prior to the US opening of Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 James Bond, No Time to Die.