'Kraven The Hunter' Eyes Dismal Opening Weekend—Could Be ...

yesterday

Forbes

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“Kraven the Hunter,” the latest film in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man spinoff cinematic universe, may debut with an even lower box office weekend total than this year’s infamous bomb “Madame Web,” Variety reported, which would be yet another flop for the film universe that struggled to captivate audiences without the key Spider-Man character.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in the upcoming "Kraven The Hunter" film. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty ... [+] Images)

Getty Images Key Facts

“Kraven the Hunter” may be headed for an opening weekend gross between $13 million and $15 million in domestic theaters, Variety reported, a dismal result for the film produced on a $110 million budget and a strikingly low figure for a comic book film adaptation.

The opening may even be lower than that of “Madame Web,” another film in the Sony Spider-Man Universe that bombed spectacularly in February with a $15.3 million debut and uniformly negative reviews, some of whom dubbed it the worst-ever comic book film.

The Wrap reported, citing anonymous sources it says are insiders at Sony and top talent agents, that the studio is turning its focus away from the Spider-Man spinoff universe and instead focusing on the upcoming “Spider-Man” film starring Tom Holland as the titular superhero.

“Kraven the Hunter” will open in about 3,200 theaters, Variety reported, much fewer than the more than 4,000 theaters other Sony Spider-Man films opened in, including “Madame Web” and “Venom.”

“Kraven the Hunter” stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the comic book character and Spider-Man antagonist, who was a key character in last year’s acclaimed “Spider-Man 2” PlayStation 5 video game.

Key Background

The Sony Spider-Man Universe spans six films focusing on supporting characters from the Spider-Man comic book series. These films are not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are distinct from the Spider-Man film series that began with “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2017, which are part of the MCU. All of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe films have been slammed by critics and received middling reviews from audiences, and while some films have been commercially successful, several are among the worst-performing comic book films ever. The first film installment in the universe was “Venom” (2018), which grossed more than $850 million worldwide despite a 30% Rotten Tomatoes score. “Venom” spawned two sequels, both of which grossed about half of the first film and failed to impress critics. Sony released one of the most infamous comic book film disasters in 2022, “Morbius,” starring Jared Leto as the Spider-Man antagonist. “Morbius” grossed $39 million in its opening weekend in April 2022, below projections that were as high as $50 million, and saw a historic 74% drop in box office sales in its second weekend, then the second-largest drop for a comic book film ever. After social media users turned “Morbius” into a meme and a punchline due to its brutal 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Sony announced the film would return to 1,000 theaters in June 2022—but the film bombed again, making only $300,000 over that weekend. “Madame Web” faced similar ridicule, earning an even-worse 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why Were The Sony Spider-Man Films Critically Panned?

A frequent criticism from film critics about the Sony Spider-Man universe films is that the Spider-Man character does not actually appear in the films, rendering the links to Marvel’s Spider-Man films confusing and making the movies a tougher sell to Spider-Man fans. The “Venom” critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes states the film is in “desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man,” while AV Club film critic Jesse Hassenger said the film was "disappointing" and a “fumbling attempt at a Spider-Man without Spider-Man universe.” Similarly, ABC News critic Peter Travers slammed “Madame Web” as a “cheap knockoff” and criticized Sony’s “cynical assumption that we'll buy any lazy hack-work that is Spider-Man adjacent.” “Kraven the Hunter” director J.C. Chandor addressed criticism of the Sony Spider-Man Universe ahead of his film’s premiere, telling ComicBook.com he knows Sony has had a “mixed success rate,” but urged moviegoers to “give us a chance and come out and support this film.” An anonymous source The Wrap described as a Sony insider said the “biggest issue with the Sony Spider-Man spinoffs seems to be the lack of quality control,” stating the lack of quality results in movies “no one asked for.”

Surprising Fact

The Sony Spider-Man Universe contrasts starkly with the MCU’s “Spider-Man” films, which star Tom Holland as Spider-Man in “Homecoming” (2017), “Far From Home” (2019) and “No Way Home” (2021). All three have at least a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and were huge commercial hits, with “No Way Home” grossing nearly $2 billion, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of all time.

Tangent

Some films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have also struggled in recent years. Following a string of films well-received by critics, like the “Avengers” installments, “Spider-Man” films and “Black Panther,” Marvel stumbled with films like “Eternals” (2021), “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023) and “The Marvels” (2023), which struggled at the box office and earned some of the franchise’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

What To Watch For

Sony is currently producing a television series, intended to be part of the Spider-Man Universe, called “Spider-Noir,” though a release date is not yet known. Nicolas Cage stars as the titular character, a version of Spider-Man in 1930s New York.