Sony Pictures is facing grim realities this holiday season as the latest Marvel film, Kraven the Hunter, tumbles to the bottom of box office charts. The film, which debuted on December 13, 2023, made history for having the lowest opening weekend of any Sony-produced Marvel movie, grossing only $11 million domestically and $15 million globally against its $110 to $150 million budget.
CEO Tony Vinciquerra expressed his dismay over the film's performance, attributing the poor box office results to negative early reviews from critics. "This is probably the worst launch we had in the 7 1/2 years," Vinciquerra told the Los Angeles Times. "I still don’t understand, because the film is not bad. For some reason, the press decided they didn’t want us making these films out of Kraven and Madame Web, and the critics just destroyed them."
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Russian supervillain from the Spider-Man comics, Kraven the Hunter focuses on the character’s tumultuous relationship with his father, played by Russell Crowe. Yet, the focus on character development hasn’t translated to box office success. By December 22, the film had only managed to pull together $30.2 million worldwide.
This grim outlook is not new for Sony. Earlier this year, another released film, Madame Web, struggled significantly with audiences and critics alike, earning a dismal 23 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, it holds even lower ratings at just 11 percent. Critics were quick to voice their disdain, with the Independent describing it as "a desperate comic book misfire."
Vinciquerra compared the current wave of criticism to previous Sony releases, stating, "They also did it with Venom, but the audience loved Venom and made it a massive hit." He added, "These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics for some reason." The 2018 film Venom exemplified how audience reception can diverge significantly from critic reviews.
Reflecting on past failures, Vinciquerra feels the pressure mounting from yet another failed superhero installment. This pattern echoes sentiments seen with Morbius, another poorly received film from 2022, which also holds just 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. With multiple underperformers, Vinciquerra projected, "If we put another one out, it’s going to get destroyed, no matter how good or bad it is," indicating the need for the studio to rethink its strategy around the Spider-Man universe.
Sony's rights to these characters became even more complex following their 2019 renegotiation with Disney, allowing for potential appearances within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This partnership provided fans of the franchise with hope; nevertheless, the studio now finds itself grappling with how to revitalize its superhero offerings without falling prey to critic backlash.
Despite the marketing efforts and the inherent popularity of the source material, Vinciquerra's concerns reflect broader issues faced by many studios attempting to break through with unique superhero narratives. These challenges become more pronounced when those narratives fail to resonate with audiences or critics.
The outlook for the future seems increasingly uncertain. With the fallout from Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web, Sony now finds itself at a crossroads. Can they turn around their fortunes with the upcoming installments, or will the studio continue to encounter the critics' wrath? Only time will tell if the characters pulling audiences toward theaters can remind exhibitors why they once thrived.
