Venom has beaten A Star Is Born at the box office in its first weekend, despite receiving a string of negative reviews.
The latest Marvel movie stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a freelance photographer who becomes the titular beast. Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams also feature in the film.
In a two-star review, NME called Venom a “flawed beast that feels 10 years out of time”. Meanwhile, of A Star Is Born, writer Douglas Greenwood said: “Gaga’s investment in her debut lead performance is so strong that she’s practically unrecognisable beneath it.”
Venom and Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born were both released in cinemas on Friday (October 5), with the former pulling in $80 million (£61.2 million) in its first few days. That figure gives it the highest-earning October opening weekend ever, beating Gravity‘s previous record of $55.7 million (£42.6 million).
A Star Is Born, which also stars Bradley Cooper and has seen many calling for the film and its cast to be rewarded with Oscars next year, took $42 million (£32.1 million).
Last week, Gaga’s fans were accused of spreading fake, negative reviews of Venom in a bid to gain a bigger audience for the musician’s first major movie role. One fan told Buzzfeed: “It’s us Gaga fans creating fake ids to trash Venom premiere. They both are getting released on the same day so we want more audience for A Star Is Born.”
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Twenty One Pilots shared a parody of the A Star Is Born movie poster. Their new album ‘Trench’ will go head-to-head with the film’s soundtracks in the album charts this week.