Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andy Serkis
Screenplay by	Kelly Marcel
Story by	Tom Hardy Kelly Marcel
Based on	Marvel Comics
Produced by	Avi Arad Matt Tolmach Amy Pascal Kelly Marcel Tom Hardy Hutch Parker
Starring	Tom Hardy Michelle Williams Naomie Harris Reid Scott Stephen Graham Woody Harrelson
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Maryann Brandon Stan Salfas
Music by	Marco Beltrami
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Marvel Entertainment Arad Productions Matt Tolmach Productions Pascal Pictures
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates	September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14) (London) October 1, 2021 (2021-10-01) (United States)
Running time	97 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$110 million[2]
Box office	$506.8 million[3][4]

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom. The sequel to Venom (2018) and the second film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), it was directed by Andy Serkis from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock and Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson. In the film, Eddie and the alien symbiote Venom must face serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) after he becomes the host of an offshoot of Venom named Carnage.

Venom was intended by Sony Pictures to be the start of a new shared universe, and plans for a sequel began during production on the first film. Harrelson was cast to make a brief appearance as Cletus at the end of Venom, with the intention of him becoming the villain Carnage in the sequel. Official work on the sequel began in January 2019, with Hardy and Harrelson confirmed to return along with Marcel as writer. Serkis was hired as director that August, partly due to his experience working with computer-generated imagery (CGI) and motion capture technology, which was an important part of portraying Venom and Carnage in the film. Filming took place at Leavesden Studios in England from November 2019 to February 2020, with additional filming in San Francisco in February. The title was announced in April 2020. Marco Beltrami was hired to compose the film's score, replacing Ludwig Göransson from the previous film.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage premiered in London on September 14, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, after multiple delays from an initial October 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $506 million worldwide and becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2021. A sequel, Venom: The Last Dance, was released on October 25, 2024.