Sony's Spider-Man Universe may be dead, but one of its biggest releases has now come to Disney+ after ending an era. The studio has been responsible for three live-action franchises using Peter Parker: Tobey Maguire's trilogy, Andrew Garfield's duology, and Tom Holland's quadrilogy. But since Sony owns the rights to hundreds of Marvel characters, their ambitions have always been greater than just Spider-Man.
Their most recent initiative, known as Sony's Spider-Man Universe, began in 2018 with Venom. That movie's success propelled Sony to produce a whole trilogy for the symbiote, as well as additional movies for Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter. The results were a mixed bag. Every movie was poorly received by critics, but some found success financially, helping the SSU gross $2.1 billion worldwide, while others have gained popularity on streaming.
The latter avenue for watching the Spider-Man Universe movies is at play once again. Venom: The Last Dance, a $478 million box office hit that ended an era for the franchise, has now arrived on Disney+, making it instantly available to watch for millions of subscribers around the globe.
Venom: The Last Dance Is Now On Disney+
Venom: The Last Dance was originally released by Sony in theaters in October 2024. It then came to Netflix in February 2025, where it found success over the next year plus. It was known that The Last Dance would leave Netflix this month, and that streaming window closing meant the start of a new one on Disney+, where the movie started streaming on August 25, 2026.
The film brings Tom Hardy back as Eddie Brock/Venom for the third and final Venom movie. Directed by franchise writer Kelly Marcel, the sequel follows Eddie and Venom as they are on the run from multiple threats, leaving them with no other option than to fight for their survival one last time. The Last Dance also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, and Alanna Ubach.
Now that Venom 3 is streaming on Disney+, the PG-13 sci-fi action comedy hopes to connect with a brand-new audience. Plenty have already seen it, as judged by its $478.9 million box office and previous streaming success on Netflix. While critics didn't love it, general viewers mostly have, with it scoring a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter.
Why Tom Hardy's Venom Movies Ended With The Last Dance
The Venom franchise ended with The Last Dance for several reasons. One of the biggest is Sony's decision to end the Spider-Man Universe entirely after Kraven the Hunter. The studio saw diminishing results with these movies after the original Venom's $800+ million success. While Hardy's movies were easily the most successful, they were not immune to the decrease in interest; The Last Dance finished with the trilogy's lowest total.
This is also where Hardy felt comfortable finishing his run as Venom. Everything from The Last Dance's story and finale to the title was done to make the movie work as a conclusion to the Eddie and Venom relationship. Sony could have found avenues to extend the run if interest was great enough, but that did not come to pass.
What's The Future Of Venom After The Last Dance?
Venom won't be absent from movie theaters forever, though. Sony is developing an animated Venom film with Hardy attached to produce. No release date is set, but directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein are developing it, with Hardy's involvement opening the door for him to possibly voice the symbiote again.
There is also a strong chance that Venom comes back in live-action, even if Hardy is not kept around. The MCU set up a symbiote storyline for Holland's Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home's post-credits scene that has yet to be paid off. With Venom: The Last Dance wrapping up Sony's live-action franchise, the door is more open for Marvel Studios to get Holland in a symbiote suit, with Venom potentially factoring into Spider-Man 5's plans.
- Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Runtime
- 110 Minutes
- Director
- Kelly Marcel
Cast
-
Eddie Brock / Venom -
Strickland
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy
- Prequel(s)
- Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Franchise(s)
- Spider-Man, Venom
