Box Office Showdowns a Star is Born vs Venom

Twitter users who identify themselves as Lady Gaga fans are taking to Twitter in droves to talk smack about “Venom,” a comic book movie starring Tom Hardy that is opening in theaters this weekend against “A Star Is Born” — starring, of course, Gaga herself.

“I am the biggest marvel fan but I just watched #venom and I don’t know what to say. Easily the worst movie this year. I expected so much better and now I’m just disappointed,” tweeted scores of Twitter users, who appeared to copy and paste the same, and similar, messages across their accounts.

The online trolling of Sony’s comic book film appeared to follow Monday night’s “Venom” premiere as a groundswell of Twitter accounts tore down the villain movie in a multitude of tweets.

Also Read: 'Venom' Poised to Set October Opening Weekend Record With $63 Million

Twitter user and Lady Gaga fan, @gagasbaristaa, who shared only that his first name is Jeremy, told TheWrap he first saw the ongoing stream of identical tweets on Tuesday morning. He said he decided to give “Venom” a negative shoutout because he found the campaign to be funny.

“I won’t let my son watch #Venom it’s so ugly and not something God would like. My family is going to watch #AStarIsBorn xoxo…,” read his rendition on Twitter.

I won’t let my son watch #Venom⁠ ⁠ it’s so ugly and not something God would like. My family is going to watch #AStarIsBorn xoxo ????

— JEREMY (@gagasbaristaa) October 2, 2018

According to Buzzfeed News, which also spoke with a “Venom” troller who identified as a Gaga fan, the behavior doesn’t come as a surprise. Gaga fans have previously been observed initiating troll campaigns against other artists and fan groups. In 2013, Lady Gaga asked her so-called Little Monsters to change their aggressive online behavior after they directed their ire at Katy Perry fans.

Sony, the studio behind “Venom,” had no comment when reached by TheWrap.

Also Read: 'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

@gagabaristaa told TheWrap “Venom” filmmakers shouldn’t mind the barrage of negative tweets because “it’s merely a joke to be honest.” The Twitter user also said Gaga’s approval of her fans’ anti-“Venom” campaign shouldn’t matter either.

“We didn’t approve of her last album, yet she gave it to us anyway,” @gagabaristaa said. “So we respect each other.”

'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
MGM/Disney/Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
Oct. 5: "A Star Is Born" vs. "Venom"

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga facing off against a superhero entry is going to be an interesting battle -- while the former is an indie with A-list stars atop the bill, the latter is a highly-anticipated comic book character debut from a major studio.
MGM/Sony
Oct. 12: "First Man" vs. "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween"

Everyone is anticipating Damien Chazelle’s followup to “La La Land,” especially now that film that puts Ryan Gosling in space is generating early buzz. “Goosebumps,” of course, is already an established franchise based on the children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The first film, which was released in 2015, had a $23 million opening.
DreamWorks/Columbia Pictures Corporation
Nov. 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody" vs. "Nobody’s Fool" vs. "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is quickly shaping up to be many people’s most anticipated fall movie, as it chronicles the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek). The film hit some road bumps when Sacha Baron Cohen, originally cast as Mercury, exited the project. Director Joss Whedon also departed the rocker biopic. Now, it's set to face off against Disney’s big-budget film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” along with Tyler Perry’s “Nobody’s Fool.”
New Regency/Paramount Players/Disney
Nov. 9: "Overlord" vs. "The Girl in the Spider’s Web" vs. "The Grinch"

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a long-awaited sequel to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which starred Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. That one grossed $232 million at the global box office. Claire Foy is taking over seven years later. But fans love their “Grinch” (2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" earned $345.1 million worldwide) and J.J. Abrams has established a “Cloverfield” fandom as well (although he has said “Overlord” is not part of the “Cloverfield” franchise). "Cloverfield" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" earned $170.8 million and $110.2 million worldwide, respectively.
Paramount/Universal/MGM
Nov. 22: "Creed II" vs. "Ralph Breaks the Internet"

"Creed" came out punching at the box office in 2015, earning $173 million worldwide. So, naturally, the sequel could prove a worthy adversary for "Ralph Breaks the Internet." Its predecessor, "Wreck-It Ralph" grossed $471 million globally, and was nominated for an Oscar.
MGM/Disney
Dec. 21: "Aquaman" vs. "Bumblebee" vs. "Alita: Battle Angel"

“Aquaman” has the backing of extremely devout DC fans, but “Bumblebee” will attract “Transformers” fans, who have brought the whole franchise up to $1.4 billion domestically. Both films are set to make some serious cash. “Alita: Battle Angel” is based on Yukito’s Kishiro’s manga “Battle Angel Alita,” is produced by James Cameron, and has a stellar cast.
Warner Bros./Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox

1 of 7

Fall Movie Preview 2018: These 15 films have a tough battle to box office glory

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.

View In Gallery

‘AHS: Apocalypse’ – The Biggest Questions We Have After ‘Return to Murder House’

‘AHS: Apocalypse': Anton LaVey, the ‘Black Pope’ of the Church of Satan, Was a Real Person

‘American Horror Story': Here’s How Ryan Murphy Got Jessica Lange to Come Back to ‘Murder House’

‘AHS': Sarah Paulson on ‘Murder House’ Return, ‘Apocalypse’ Finale and Directing Jessica Lange

‘The Walking Dead': Michael Cudlitz on Why Returning to Direct was ‘the Best of Both Worlds’

'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

Related Content