BOX OFFICE: “Venom” endures, “Heretic” wins converts, “Best Little Christmas Pageant” passes the collection plate

“Venom: The Last Dance” is going out in style, as this critically-dismissed Marvel movie is rolling up perhaps $14 million on its third weekend at the top of the box office heap. That would put it over $112 million, Deadline.com notes.

And that would be enough to keep Hugh Grant — THAT Hugh Grant — from unseating it in the top spot. Grant and his very smart and sinister turn in “Heretic” did $1.2 million Thursday night and outdrew “Venom” Friday, which Deadline somehow figures will spin into an $10.5 million opening for A24’s religion-ripping horror tale.

Good reviews and very good reviews won’t hurt that one, with $10.5 million seeming more like its floor than its opening weekend ceiling.

Not quite upbeat notices and indifferent reviews won’t hurt the faith-based family dramedy “Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” which rushes the holiday season into theaters along with the better-reviewed indie “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” although not everybody got in the holiday spirit thanks to that diffuse and downbeat “comedy” either.

“Best Christmas Pageant,” which came to life in a ’70s novel and became a treacly feature of community theaters across the land thanks to an ’80s stage version, is on track to earn $10 million, over the Veteran’s Day weekend. That’s a very good take for a film starring Judy Greer and a bunch of kids.

“The Wild Robot” is still all alone in the major studio family-film animated releases of the fall (“Hitpig” bombed) and will pull in another $5 million or so. It’ll be over $130 million by the end of the holiday weekend, but it took seven weeks to get there — not a Dreamworks blockbuster by any measure.

“Smile 2” could actually finish ahead of it this weekend, as it is on track to pull in another $4.7 million. It’s over $60 million at this point, probably clearing close to $80 million by the end of its run.

The few theaters still showing the charming Pharell Williams animated biography-documentary “Piece by Piece” could push it over $10 million this weekend, but it looks as if it will fall just short. Fun idea, turning a music doc into a Lego animated pic. If you missed it, you’re missing out.

“Conclave” finishes sixth this weekend, pulling in another $4 million.

Sean Baker’s sex worker tricks her way to Russia tale “Anora” opens wider this weekend and cracked the top ten, clearing the $2.5 million mark.

“Here” opened meekly and is heading to a meek $2.5 million second weekend.

“We Live in Time” is adding $2.3.

And “Terrifier 3” is finally out of gas, pulling in $1.3. But it’s managed to clear $53 million and will finish its run in the $57-60 million ballpark.

The mid-fall/Halloween releases will surrender a lot of screens next weekend, when “Red One” starts the holiday season onslaught, followed by “Wicked,” “Gladiator 2” and “Moana” 2.

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About Roger Moore

Movie Critic, formerly with McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Orlando Sentinel, published in Spin Magazine, The World and now published here, Orlando Magazine, Autoweek Magazine
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