Venom Still Rules, New Thrillers Make Waves

This weekend, Hollywood decided to take a break from dropping new movies. This gave indie films like A24's "Heretic" and Lionsgate's "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" a chance to shine. Meanwhile, Sony's "Venom: The Last Dance" continues its reign at the top. Despite a slow start, the superhero flick is now racing towards $100 million in North America. It's not just a hit here, but also overseas, where it's raking in nearly 70% of its total revenue. "Heretic, " with Hugh Grant as a mind-game master, is expected to grab the second spot this weekend. With a budget of just $120 million, "The Last Dance" has done pretty well, considering the high budget of most superhero films. It's not reaching the heights of the previous "Venom" movies, but it's still a decent run. "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is also doing well, aiming for a $9. 5 million weekend. This holiday film might be just what Lionsgate needs to turn around its recent box office troubles. It's also getting good reviews, which could mean it sticks around for a while. Universal's "The Wild Robot" is still going strong in its seventh weekend, and Paramount's "Smile 2" is set to hit $60 million soon.