It seems like the influence of Joker's success is already being seen. According to producer Matt Tolmach in an interview with Cinemablend, Venom 2 may end up going for an R-rating.
"I mean, I think you always have to think about [it], now that that works," Tolmach said. "Having said that, our movie worked really well. Our franchise exists as it is, and I don't think anybody is looking to just say, ‘Hey, they [did it]!’ We have a place in the world. So it isn't like suddenly everybody's considering what to do with the rating."
He continued: "I think what Joker does is it tells you that you can succeed. For a very long time, that was the narrative. And Deadpool sort of wrestled that to the turf, and then Logan, but for a long time, that was considered totally forbidden. … So you know, I think it's the greatest thing in the world that R-rated movies are being embraced by massive audiences. And it just means that there are more opportunities for that kind of storytelling."
While Joker is setting box office records, Venom was still able to pull in an impressive 856.1 million USD at the box office, and even while it didn't hold as strong critically, changing up the formula might be seen as a risky move.
Venom 2 expected to release on October 2, 2020.