Venom: The Last Dance earns a disappointing $22 million on first day of release

That bites!The final chapter in Tom Hardy’s “Venom” trilogy finished Friday off with $22 million in day one box office receipts — more than enough to propel it to No.1, according to The Numbers.The threequel’s first-day take likely means it will fall short of the $70 million insiders had projected it would generate during its opening weekend.The film series, about a symbiotic alien who invades the body of Hardy’s San Francisco newspaper columnist character, and consumes human brains to stay alive.

The original “Venom” film in 2018 sold $32 million ticket on its first day, while 2021’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” generated $37 million in opening day sales.“Smile 2,” the psychological thriller starring Jack Nicholson’s son, Ray, dropped a notch to No.2, earning another $3.03 million.Following at No.

3 with $2.5 million in first-day sales was “Conclave,” a drama revolving around the naming of a new Pope.“We Live in Time” took fourth place during its second week in theaters, box office debut, earning just over $1.9 million.The romantic drama, which stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, was slammed by some critics, with the Huffington Post deeming it “frustrating,” and Mashable calling it the “biggest cinema disappointment of the year.”“The Wild Robot” held on to the No.5 spot, taking in $1.8 million on its fourth Friday in theaters....