One of the biggest box office surprises of 2018 was just how much money the Tom Hardy-led “Venom” film earned. After early critics trashed the film, many expected that Sony’s first attempt to spin-off its popular ‘Spider-Man’ franchise was destined for failure. However, when the dust settled, “Venom” earned more than $856 million at the worldwide box office, ensuring that Sony had a new franchise. But that initial sting from the critics seems to have stuck with the film’s director, Ruben Fleischer.
Speaking to Fandom, while promoting his upcoming “Zombieland 2: Double Tap,” Fleischer was asked if he’d change anything about “Venom,” in light of the critical response of the film. And in a surprising turn of events, he admits that he wouldn’t change anything about the film itself, but would like to change everyone’s mind who didn’t like it.
READ MORE: Cinematographer Robert Richardson Will Shoot Venom 2 For Director Andy Serkis
“If anything, I would have changed the critics’ reaction to it,” admitted Fleischer. “I was really bummed that people didn’t like it because it’s a crowd-pleasing movie and I’m not sure if there was just blowback against Sony or people just worship Marvel. But I was really surprised that the critics [were gunning for it] because audiences really enjoyed the movie. And so many people who’ve seen it just appreciated that it was a fun superhero movie. So I was a little surprised. I don’t know what they were expecting.”
As you might expect, the blowback from “Venom” critics, who seemed to differ quite a bit from fans who loved the film, has helped ease the pain of Fleischer not coming back for the sequel. The director admits that he’s excited that Andy Serkis is aboard as the new director.
“I was kinda happy to let somebody else take over. And I’m excited to see what he does with it,” said Fleischer.
And while the outgoing director clearly doesn’t have the exact information about where the “Venom” sequel might go, he does admit that Sony’s long-term plan is to have the worlds of “Venom” and “Spider-Man” meet, with Tom Hardy and Tom Holland eventually starring in a crossover film.
READ MORE: Marvel Might’ve Pulled Tom Holland’s Peter Parker Cameo From ‘Venom’
“That’s where it’s all going to lead, and that’s the exciting thing because we changed the origin of Venom…in the comics, he evolved from Spider-Man but because of the Marvel-Sony thing we weren’t able to that,” he said. “And so the thing I think it’s building towards, and will be exciting to see, is when they actually do confront each other.”
We’ll have to see how this has all changed with the recent deal between Sony and Disney, with Holland sticking in the MCU for at least two more films. Perhaps the “Venom” crossover featuring Holland’s Spidey is something that is going to be teased more in the future? We’ll find out soon enough, as both “Venom 2” and “Spider-Man 3” should be arriving in theaters in the next couple of years.