The Reported Run Time For Venom: Let There Be Carnage Will Shock You
"Carnage" is coming. No seriously, it's looking like "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is finally going to hit theaters in the very near future. The long-delayed sequel to 2017's hit, Tom Hardy-starring comic book flick has, of course, seen numerous release date changes as ongoing public health concerns over COVID-19 have led to uncertainty at the box-office.
The most recent scheduling change was great news for "Venom" fans, as "Let There Be Carnage" moved up to an Oct. 1, 2021 release date. And given the record-breaking success of Marvel Studio's Labor Day release "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," it's safe to assume Sony Pictures bosses are feeling a little better about the MCU-adjacent film reaching its box office potential in that early October slot.
Directed by legendary mo-cap man Andy Serkis and co-starring Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, and Naomie Harris, the "Venom" sequel sees Hardy returning as Symbiote-plagued anti-hero Eddie Brock, and finds him facing-off against another symbiotic beast in the titular Carnage, this one hosted by Harrelson's deranged psychopath Cletus Kasady. As the film's title suggests, carnage and chaos will undoubtedly ensue when these two tangle.
As it turns out, fans may not have to wait very long to see the powerful Symbiotes throw down in the film, as "Venom: Let There Be Carange" is reportedly shaping up to be a brisk cinematic affair.
The Venom sequel may be the shortest comic book movie to date
Mere weeks ahead of its release, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" indeed popped up on advanced ticket sales site Fandango. If the listing for the film on that site is accurate, the runtime on the "Venom" sequel is a shockingly brief 90 minutes. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the site for theater chain Cinemark is listing the film's runtime at 95 minutes. That five minute difference might seem inconsequential, but it is, in fact, the difference between "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" claiming the title of "shortest comic book movie ever made" or "second shortest comic book ever made" behind 2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," which clocked in at a mercifully short 92 minutes.
Okay, that distinction is probably a bit inconsequential as well. Nonetheless, if this runtime is for real, it says a lot about what's in store for "Venom" fans when "Let There Be Carnage" hits theaters on Oct. 1. It could mean that the film is not putting much emphasis on character development and is instead fronting loads of Venom vs. Carnage action. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since fans got to know Hardy's and Williams' characters pretty well in the original "Venom" film.
Either way, a 90 (or 95) minute cut of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" should make for a welcome change of pace in the superhero movie realm, which regularly sees films surpass the two hour mark.