It might not be too late for Sony to save what could have been a big asset. Its Spider-Man Universe sans the web slinger himself still has a chance to survive the tough times the franchise is going through right now. The stakes on the latest entry, Kraven the Hunter, were high and unfortunately, it failed to come through.
To be fair, the franchise was never doing too well to begin with, but the situation has only gotten worse this year. However, there is still a sliver of hope for it if Sony is willing to take another chance and invest several million dollars to bring in the one (and perhaps even the only) thing that can revive its ruined reputation.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe still has a chance to survive if the studio does this one thing
Some people know exactly what to do to get what they want, while others take some time to do the same. Similarly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a success from the get-go and despite some downtime, it has managed to recover quite well. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, on the other hand, has only seen success with its Venom trilogy.
It was the success of 2018’s Venom that gave the studio the confidence to keep making spin-off movies on characters related to the wall-crawler, without him ever showing up. This obviously did not work and has quite literally cost the studio millions. The quality of the movies has only declined and so has their success rate at the box office.
Had they included Spider-Man in the movies, there is a good chance that they would have done better. According to someone who works for Sony (via Variety), the deal the studio has with Marvel Studios does not stop them from using Peter Parker in the films even if the title does not include his name. The only reason Sony did not use him was that they thought fans would find Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man in that universe absurd.
Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock, who recently spoke to Variety, has an excellent solution to Sony’s dilemma.
You could hire a different Spider-Man. It doesn’t have to be Tom.
That is actually some great advice, and Sony can hugely benefit from it. Although a brilliant idea, it requires a lot of money and careful planning. One more misstep could derail the franchise even further.
Kraven the Hunter could have made an entry in the MCU before getting a solo movie
Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson in all his eight-pack glory, has only turned out to be another of Sony’s massive disappointments. Despite its ensemble cast and J. C. Chandor at the helm, it has not been able to impress fans and critics, which was hardly surprising given the franchise’s track record.
That said, Kraven could have gotten his film debut much sooner if Marvel had not decided to use the multiverse in the third solo Spider-Man movie. In an interview with Collider before the release of the film, Tom Holland revealed that Jon Watts had a backup plan ready. According to that plan, the movie would feature Kraven as the villain.
For a long time, there was going to be a Kraven movie that was going to be the third movie because things weren’t working out and all sorts of different stuff. Jon pitched me this Kraven movie, which actually was really cool. I don’t want to talk about it in case that movie ends up happening down the line, but it was fun.
Hopefully, Johnson will get to put on his leopard print fur once again in a face-off against his superhero nemesis in the MCU at some point. Until then, Sony can learn from its mistakes and maybe give itself another chance.
Frequently asked questions
What does the article say Sony should do to save its Spider-Man spinoff franchise after Kraven the Hunter?
The piece argues Sony’s best remaining option is to anchor its Spider-Man Universe with an actual Spider-Man, but not necessarily Tom Holland. It cites Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock, who told Variety, “You could hire a different Spider-Man. It doesn’t have to be Tom,” and notes this would require Sony to spend big to cast a new Spider-Man actor and build future spinoffs around him.
Who starred in and directed Kraven the Hunter, and how does the article say it performed?
Kraven the Hunter starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role and was directed by J.C. Chandor. The article frames it as another major disappointment for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, following the poorly received spinoffs Morbius and Madame Web, noting that only the Venom trilogy has counted as a real success for the franchise.
Could Sony actually put Spider-Man in its spinoff movies?
According to the article, citing a Sony source via Variety, the studio’s deal with Marvel Studios technically allows Peter Parker to appear in Spider-Man Universe films even when his name is not in the title. Sony reportedly held off because it felt Tom Holland’s version would seem out of place there, which is why the suggestion is to cast a different Spider-Man actor instead.
