“It takes real skill to be this bad”: With Kraven the Hunter, Sony’s Spider-Man Spinoff Franchise Has Set a Horrific Track Record Few in Hollywood Can Beat
- Sony’s Spider-Man spin-offs have faced repeated critical failures, and 'Kraven the Hunter' doesn't seem to improve the situation.
- The biggest issue lies in the absence of Spider-Man, as Kraven, Morbius, and Madame Web are tied to Spider-Man’s narrative.
- Reports suggest 'Kraven the Hunter' could be Sony's final Spider-Man spin-off installment as of now.
The cinematic world of superheroes is constantly evolving, and Marvel and DC have been the leaders of comic book adaptations. However, after many misses, DC had to dissolve its DCEU and reconstruct a new DCU from scratch.
Now with its latest installment, Kraven the Hunter, it seems like Sony will have to think of something similar for its Spider-Man spin-offs. Although the characters are originally from Marvel comics, Sony holds the film rights to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), and it has not been doing great, to say the least.
Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off movies have constantly suffered with ratings
The SSU comprises movies produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, which get distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Most of the characters in this universe are related to Spider-Man, usually as his antagonists.
After the not-so-welcoming reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony teamed up with Marvel Studios and again brought in a new Spider-Man in Tom Holland, who has been featured in both the MCU and SSU with a shared storyline. However, apart from the Spider-Man trilogy, the SSU has been quite unsuccessful, especially with ratings.
Movies like Madame Web and Morbius are some of the least-rated superhero movies in general, which have also been box office disasters. Other than them, the Venom franchise has also received poor ratings, although it has been a decent success at the box office.
Now, as Aaron Taylor-Johnson‘s Kraven the Hunter has just been released, its ratings once again fail to break the jinx. Netizens have not held back in taking their shots against this constant failure of SSU.
It takes real skill to be this bad
— Otto Tenet (@otto_tenet) December 12, 2024
lol 😂 remember when Sony re-released Morbius for it just to bomb again? Good times
— Brandon Jones (@B_Jones2009) December 12, 2024
I speak for all of us when I say that whoever was running this spinoff universe should be fired for completely mishandling it
— best4liberty.bsky.social 🔰🗽 (@Best4Liberty) December 12, 2024
The universe was doomed from the moment they said no to Spider-Man in the films.
— T (@T54321X) December 12, 2024
Sony should sell the rights back to marvel
— 👑 (@Br0nToLA23) December 12, 2024
The biggest problem that lies with Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off universe is the absence of its title character. To some extent, Venom can be considered to have his own identity, but characters like Morbius, Kraven, and Madame Web get their whole identity because of Spider-Man.
Fans either know them as the villains or allies of Spidey, and their motives have historically been associated with him. But Sony’s decision to not include Spider-Man and build them as standalone characters has not been welcomed by fans. It remains to be seen how the studio will solve this issue, which fans have been pointing out for years.
Is Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off universe ending?
According to Variety, Kraven the Hunter is expected to earn between $13 million and $15 million domestically during its opening weekend. The movie has a current critic rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After such constant failures, it seems like Sony is thinking of a big strategic move. According to The Wrap, Kraven the Hunter is going to be the last installment of Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off universe for now. The studio will reportedly focus on Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies and other Spider-Man TV shows.
However, it is still unknown whether this will be the end of Spidey’s spin-off universe, as some connections and Easter eggs related to Spidey have been dropped already in the earlier movies.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘s post-credit scene showed Venom’s remnant in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man universe. In the end credits of Morbius, Michael Keaton’s Vulture ends up in Morbius’ universe and mentions Spider-Man again. Venom: The Last Dance introduced Knull, which again demands Venom’s reprise even though he sacrificed himself at the end.
With all these established connections, it is hard to imagine the complete end of Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off universe. Moreover, the appearance of the Sinister Six has been in talks for quite some time now.
The new Spider-Man trilogy is available to stream on Netflix.
Venom 1 and Venom 2 are available to stream on Netflix, and Venom 3 is now streaming on Prime Video.
Madame Web and Morbius are available to stream on Netflix.
Kraven the Hunter is now running in theaters.
