Spider-Man is one busy superhero. Solely owned by Sony Pictures, the web-slinger has been seconded to appear in a few Marvel Studios-directed movies: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Avengers: Innity War (2018). During his absence, his famous symbiote rival, Venom, is swooping in to ll the void. Opening today, this will be Venom's second outing - he rst appeared in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 (2007). The standalone movie will spearhead Sony Pictures' effort to expand the lucrative market of the beloved web-head franchise.