Venom backlash spread by Lady Gaga fans ahead of A Star Is Born box office clash?

Both offerings are out in cinemas this week, with Lady Gaga receiving plentiful acclaim for her work in the latter.

But with Venom, a big-budget superhero epic, projected to fare much better at the box office this weekend, Gaga fans are seemingly spreading negative buzz about the Tom Hardy thriller.

Yesterday Deadline reported that Venom is tracking towards a $60-65 million debut in the US – which would be an all-time record for an October opener, overtaking Gravity’s $55.7 million.

A Star Is Born is expected to open domestically at a still-great $30 million, but some experts expect it to enjoy a much longer run than its rival.

A report for Buzzfeed highlights the fact that many tweets have exactly the same wording: “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.”

Some others draw attention to A Star Is Born, and many of the accounts posting the messages have been accused of being non-human bots.

One user told Buzzfeed: “It’s us Gaga fans creating fake IDs to trash the Venom premiere.

“They both are getting released on the same day, so we want more audience for A Star Is Born.”

The trolling has had an adverse effect among some moviegoers, with one person posting: “I wasn’t sure i’d watch #Venom on opening weekend but now i think i just might go see it twice this weekend, with a bunch of friends and family too. This is pathetic as hell.”

There is cause for concern for Venom, but it’s not the Gaga fans’ efforts: it’s the fact that the reviews have been almost entirely negative.

At time of writing the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score is below 30%, which could seriously impact its box office prospects.

And with A Star Is Born enjoying unanimous acclaim, could there be a box office upset?

GQ said in a particularly negative post about Venom: “When a major fight scene resembles a pair of black pants caught in a white wash, it’s fair to say you haven’t taken the audience with you.”

The Telegraph quipped in a scathing one-star review: “Sony Pictures appear to have lavished a nine-figure sum on, and are now hoping to establish an entire cinematic universe on the back of, a character who looks like someone drizzled with Creme Egg filling onto a bin bag.”

The Hollywood Reporter added: “A significant problem in a film full of them is that Eddie comes off as a dope, an eager dufus hardly convincing as a boundary-pushing journo or someone who can out-think a titan of technology.”

Both films are out now in the UK.