Blockbuster smash Venom has been granted an extended theatrical run in China following its tremendous success in that market. Sony rolled the dice when they opted to give Eddie Brock a solo film, but nobody is arguing with the results. Despite being widely panned by critics, Venom became an unlikely audience favorite over the fall, breaking October box office records and launching a new franchise for the studio. There's no denying the film left a sizable pop culture footprint, seeing that fans were quick to 'ship Eddie and Venom - to the point where Sony embraced that angle for home media marketing.

Domestically, Venom posted a respectable, but hardly substantial, $212.3 million. The worldwide box office made the film the hit it is, as the global total currently stands at a whopping $845.5 million. That figure is higher than Justice League, every X-Men film ever, and even the juggernaut that was Wonder Woman. Things are going so well for Venom that Chinese audiences don't want to see it go, and luckily for them, it'll be sticking around for a little longer.

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According to DeadlineVenom will have extended play in China. The film has actually made more money there than anywhere else in the world. To date, $260.5 million of the worldwide haul comes from Chinese ticket sales. Venom is about to pass Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($261.2) on the Middle Kingdom's 2018 charts and be the country's seventh highest-grossing movie of the year.

Eddie Brock peers out from within the Venom symbiote in Venom.

This development is not surprising at all. Venom broke Chinese records when it opened there back in November and has demonstrated incredibly strong legs over the course of its lucrative run. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was no match for it, earning a paltry $37.5 million to Venom's $51 million during their showdown. Since the comic book film continues to generate strong business, it makes perfect sense for China to keep it around. What will be interesting to see, however, is how Venom coexists with newcomer Aquaman, which opens in China on December 7. There must be some confidence Venom will remain a sizable draw to give it this extension, but its stranglehold on the box office should loosen up a bit.

Regardless of how much more Venom makes, it's safe to say it's exceeded even the rosiest expectations and Sony has to be thrilled with how everything turned out. The studio has yet to officially date the inevitable sequel, but Venom 2 is actively in development and may prove to be an even bigger hit than its predecessor. As teased in the post-credits scene, the followup will pit Venom against his nemesis Carnage, which is a battle fans have wanted to see on the big screen for a long time. It took Sony quite a long time to get to this point, but they finally struck Marvel gold with Venom.

More: How Venom's Success Could Change the MCU (And Spider-Man)

Source: Deadline