“Like an ax in your head”: ‘Madame Web’ Producer Weighs in on the Possibility of a Sequel, Addresses the Dakota Johnson Film’s Epic Disaster

The latest addition to Sony’s superhero universe, Madame Web, looked promising before its release, having Dakota Johnson as the leading star and having the story reference of fan-favorite Spider-Man. However, the film failed badly at the box office and is now doing the rest of the business on streaming platforms.

Madame Web‘s failure can be attributed to many reasons, and although the movie is doing decent on streaming sites, sometimes it is more about the curiosity of viewers than the quality of the film. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura recently opened up on how he felt after the movie’s failure and whether there would be any sequel.

Failure of Madame Web and Sequel Possibility

According to Box Office Mojo, Madame Web managed to gross about $100.2 million worldwide. Bonaventura didn’t pull any punches when he discussed the film’s performance.

In an interview with ComicBook, he described the theatrical experience as “heartbreaking.” When he was asked how it feels when a project doesn’t connect with fans, he vented out his emotions, saying, “Like an ax in your head.”

Bonaventura then went on to explain how the reality of box office failure makes him focus on the next project. The producer doesn’t want to experience such failure ever again, and this will influence his further choices of moviemaking. However, when asked about any possibility of seeing Madame Web once again on screen, he simply said, “I don’t have any idea. I really don’t know.”

But not everyone feels that Madame Web was a total disaster. Emma Roberts, who played Mary Parker, had some thoughts on why the movie might not have landed with audiences. In an interview with Variety, she blamed internet culture and the tendency to turn everything into a joke.

Sydney Sweeney, who was Julia Cornwall in the film, on the other hand, credited the movie for being a foundation for her relationship with Sony while speaking to GQ. 

Various factors led to the failure of the movie. The poorly written storyline and the plot didn’t justify or explain much about the sub-characters, and the marketing of the movie was also not great, especially for a character that is already lesser known in the universe of Spider-Man.

However, Madame Web did manage to introduce some important elements to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The film shows the origin of Cassandra Webb and her connection to the Spider-People across the multiverse. If its execution had been a bit better, the film would not have received such backlash from fans.

Will Madame Web 2 Actually Happen?

As of now, it seems like Sony is not focusing on Madame Web, which is quite understandable. The franchise has other spidey-related films in the works, like Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3. But Madame Web‘s reception might make Sony think twice before giving a green signal for a sequel.

If, by any chance, a sequel or a prequel happens, Dakota Johnson would likely reprise her role as Cassandra Webb, fully embracing her superhero identity. The return of Julia Carpenter, Anya Corazón, and Mattie Franklin might also happen as they transform into their Spider-Women personas.

The film, however, set up some possibilities for a sequel. Cassandra was seen using her newfound powers to guide a young Peter Parker towards his destiny. Or maybe there could be a team-up movie, which the trailer kind of promised but didn’t deliver.

As of now, it looks like Sony would like to focus more on Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland, as almost all the adjacent movies related to Spider-Man didn’t work at the box office. Only time will tell if Madame Web gets another chance to spin her story. 

Madame Web is now streaming on Netflix.