No Time To Die & Venom 2 will have to fight for the best screens at movie theaters

Last Updated on September 14, 2021

October is going to be a pretty stacked month at the movies with the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, No Time To Die, Halloween Kills, and Dune. Weeks separate these films more than others but once the Venom sequel moved from September 24 to October 15 and then to October 1, the film landed in the direct sights of 007. No Time To Die launches the following week on October 8 and now the two will be fighting for the best large format screens at your local movie theaters (via IndieWire).

Studios with tentpole releases like No Time To Die and Venom: Let There Be Carnage usually provide early information to movie theaters and permit early sales while locking in commitments on their premium screens. Tickets for No Time To Die go on sale Friday, September 17 at 9:00 AM ET with shows that start Thursday, October 7 at 4:00 PM. The 007 entry will be eyeing premium screens but the same will be the case for Venom: Let There Be Carnage whose presale tickets have already gone on sale for shows beginning on October 7 at 4:00 PM. Who gets priority here for the best screens? Let’s find out!

Most reports say that No Time To Die will take priority for the best screens and this is in large part because the Venom sequel vacated its original release date. This cost them sure-fire access for two weeks on IMAX and similar large-scale formats. Theaters have to assign specific screens before tickets can be sold so a final decision needs to be made before Friday about who plays where. If Sony would’ve stuck to the September 24 date for Venom, it would have been guaranteed two weeks on premium screens. In this fight for the best way to view these films, it would appear that Sony has gotten in their own way.

The upside for Sony is that Venom: Let There Be Carnage can run more showings in a day given its slim 90-minute runtime compared to the 163-minute runtime for No Time To Die. Longer runtimes mean fewer showtimes throughout the day so the Venom sequel could make up for losing some of the premium screens by simply playing more showings. We weren’t expecting a Venom and 007 showdown but now the box office in the weeks ahead is going to get pretty interesting as a result.

Who do YOU think will get the best screens at movie theaters between No Time To Die and Venom: Let There Be Carnage?