LOS ANGELES:

Sony’s “Venom” and Warner Bros’ “A Star Is Born” are set to top the box office in the pair’s second weekend, while a slew of new releases hit multiplexes, led by Universal’s “First Man”.

“Venom” is on its way to adding an estimated $32 million to its total for the top spot, bringing its domestic tally to $139.25 million. The twist on a superhero tale has earned another $127 million internationally in its first seven days.

Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock, who becomes host to the alien entity known as Venom. Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams also star in the Ruben Fleischerhelmed film. Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, and Kelly Marcel wrote the script.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” is heading for a $28 million sophomore frame. The drama, which is also Cooper’s directorial debut, has amassed $66 million domestically in its first week, with another $14 million from overseas markets.

The opening of Universal’s “First Man”, which stars Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, is coming in slightly below early forecasts, which had placed it in the $17 million to $20 million range, with $16 million from 3,640 domestic sites. The pic was directed by “La La Land” helmer Damien Chazelle from Josh Singer’s script. “First Man” is a personal take on the story of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing, and has an 88% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a B+ CinemaScore. (RTRS)