Venom is finally here, and it looks like audiences are into it. Critics have been lukewarm on the film with mixed to negative reviews, but that hasn't stopped viewers from making it the biggest debut in October ever. Venom had a big turnout this weekend, but money doesn't mean that people liked it, so how do people actually feel about this movie? Pretty good, according to CinemaScore -- or at least they like it more than critics did. Take a look.
For those who may not be aware, CinemaScore is kind of like the Rotten Tomatoes for moviegoers. It's a market research firm that performs surveys on audience members on their viewing experience of a particular movie with a letter grade, with F being the worst and A+ being the best. Basically, the company is getting audiences' initial reactions to a film right after those viewers leave the theater.
Critics may not be so hot on Venom now, but audiences are being a bit more forgiving. According to a Twitter post shared by CinemaScore, Venom received a B+ from viewers, which puts it on par with the B+ Spider-man 3 earned. That's not a super high score and is sitting in the average category, but that's better than what critics say. Compare that to the 32% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. However, to be fair, Venom's audience score on RT is 89% so it looks like there is a divide between critics and audiences on this one.
However, I would like to point out that these rating systems aren't a 100% reflection of how a movie is being received. In the case of CinemaScore, they are surveying a select group of theaters. Plus, audiences are likely to feel more hyped or annoyed with a movie right after leaving the theaters than if you gave them a day to digest their thoughts. Still, though, audiences seem to be reacting more positively to Venom.
In this writer's opinion, B+ or B- is pretty on the level for Venom. It's not a terrible movie, but it's mostly fine with a few bright spots mixed in. It doesn't do much to make it stand out from the rest of the superhero pack and ultimately lacks the punch or edge that it wanted. That being said, if you liked Venom, then all the more power to you. Tom Hardy makes some interesting acting choices that make for some memorable moments, I will say.
Ultimately, only you can decide on how you feel about Venom and the only way to do that is to see it. The movie is currently out in theaters, so stop by your local theater to see what's so B+ about it. Afterward, be sure to visit our 2018 movie release guide to see what else is in store for the rest of the year.
