Summary
Kraven the Huntershowed early signs of disaster after a recent promotional event reportedly tanked, and Sony is seemingly prepared for the nextSpider-ManUniverse movie to bomb.
Kraven the Hunterstars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Sergei Kravinoff, one of themost evil Spider-Man villainsfrom Marvel Comics. However, as with the previous SonySpider-ManUniverse movies,Kraven the Hunterwon’t feature the wall-crawler. The absence of Spider-Man in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movies is just one of several factors contributing to the franchise’s underwhelming box office performance. Except for Tom Hardy’sVenommovies, each Sony Spider-Man Universe film has lost money for the studio, and audiences recently showed they are not interested inKraven the Huntereither.
At Brazil’s Comic-Con Experience (CCXP), fans learned that the secret panel was forKraven the Hunter. PerThe Wrap, someone who attended the panel noted that the event “played to rows of empty seats” with no stars at the presentation. If the “half-empty” panel signifies thatKraven the Hunterbox office predictionsaccurately forecast a flop, Sony has seemingly received the message.Kraven the Hunterwill debut on just 3,000 screens, roughly 25% less thanVenom: The Last Dancewas afforded for its theatrical premiere in October and the lowest of any Sony Spider-Man Universe movie.
Perhaps the worst news for the franchise is that Sony is virtually ending the live-action Spider-Man Universe withKraven the Hunter. Per The Wrap, Sony is shifting its focus to projects involving Spider-Man. “They’ve developed what they want to develop for now,” a top talent agent told TheWrap. “It’s really about the next ‘Spider-Man’ film.” A second Sony insider reportedly specified to The Wrap that the studio is focused onTom Holland’sSpider-Man 4, the animated featureSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and Nicolas Cage’s live-actionSpider-Man Noirseries.
Few will be surprised if Sony quits on its live-action Spider-Man Universe franchise “for now.” In addition to being box office bombs, moviegoers and critics have trashed each SSU movie. WhileMorbiusenjoyed some fan enthusiasm (mostly for being bad enough to be enjoyable), that passion didn’t translate into financial success when Sony re-released the movie. Instead,Morbiusfailed twice at the box office. Even theVenomfilms, which were box office successes even with COVID-19 hindering the second movie’s performance, yielded diminishing results with the third installment.
It’s easy to blame the Sony Spider-Man Universe’s failure on ‘superhero fatigue,’ as Marvel Studios and DC have experienced their share of flops in recent years withThe MarvelsandJoker 2, to name a few examples. However, few will deny that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has nothing to blame but itself. The movies aren’t good, to most people who viewed them, and audiences have made it known that they aren’t interested in Spider-Man movies without the wall-crawler.
Kraven the Hunterwill be released in theaters on June 01, 2025.
Kraven the Hunter
Cast
Kraven the Hunter explores the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff, known as Kraven, as he navigates his tumultuous relationship with his father, Nikolai. This path of vengeance sets Kraven on a journey to become a formidable hunter with a reputation for fearsome brutality.
